A fire injured three people and destroyed 27 cars on Monday afternoon as it blazed through a Mitsubishi Motors Cambodia store in Teuk Thla commune, Sen Sok district, in Phnom Penh, the Municipal Fire Department said.
Its director Prom Yorn told The Post on Tuesday that the fire, which almost completely consumed the building and warehouse sections of the store, was suspected to have been caused by an electrical malfunction.
“During the intervention, two firefighters – Ith Sokha, 52, and Prom Panha, 26, and Mitsubishi employee Phan Sam Eang, 23, sustained minor injuries to their legs and arms when the roof caved in.
“We continued to spray water until the fire was under control, stopping it spreading to nearby homes,” he said.
After the fire was extinguished, expert officials examined the scene and reported that 70 per cent of the 27 2020 Mitsubishi pick-ups were damaged. The 20m by 50m building and 12m by 60m warehouse were also critically damaged in the blaze.
The department reported that it took nearly two hours to fight the fire, using 174 cubic meters of water from 19 fire trucks from the department, OCIC and Cambodia Beer Companies.
Mitsubishi Motors Cambodia manager Lao Sak said: “I have not evaluated the fire damage yet. I could not sleep all night due to the fire,” he said.