A 12-year-old boy was killed and his parents injured on Tuesday afternoon in a fire that burned down 13 houses in Russey Keo district’s Chraing Chamreh II commune in Phnom Penh.

Russey Keo district governor Chea Pisey told The Post on Tuesday that the boy’s neighbours informed him that the deceased had a severe learning disability and regularly stayed home alone.

He said the authorities had initially assumed the boy was responsible for accidentally starting the fire while his parents were not home.

After the flame spread, the boy’s parents ran into the house to save their son. The husband was seriously wounded, while his wife was slightly injured, resulting in both of them being rushed to hospital.

“We have to wait for the police report, but it is initially assumed that the boy burned down the house by accident,” Pisey said.

He said the authorities used 20 fire engines to extinguish the fire to prevent it spreading to nearby houses.

Khuong Sreng, who is Phnom Penh municipal governor and a manager at the Red Cross in Phnom Penh, inspected the site after the inferno was extinguished.

Russey Keo district police chief Kol Yi said police were investigating the blaze.

The National Police’s Fire and Rescue Department’s Facebook page said two other major fires had occurred in and around the capital so far in September.

The first occurred in Klang Rom Sav Market and destroyed 40 stalls, while the second was at a tyre warehouse at Doeum Kor Market.