A fire ravaged 50 stalls in Tram Kak Market in Takeo province’s Tram Kak district on the night of May 5, with damages estimated at around $500,000.

Mao Sophal, deputy police chief in charge of fire prevention, told The Post on May 6 that the fire had damaged many phone, clothes and footwear stalls and destroyed 22 in the market.

“Upon inquiries and inspecting the scene, we determined that the fire was started by faulty electrical wiring in a phone stall owned by Nob Sovan. Nobody was injured during the incident,” he said, adding that police firefighters using 14 fire engines took more than two hours to extinguish the blaze.

However, local authorities have yet to assess the extent of the damage. But according to preliminary estimates, property damage was put at more than $500,000, said Tram Kak commune chief Som Roth on May 6.

Citing vendors, he said: “One stall owner lost between $8,000 and $ 30,000. So, the 22 stalls destroyed amounts to about $500,000. But this is just a first estimate based on data provided by vendors. We do not know if they have inflated figures,” he said.

Stall owner Sovan told The Post that when he received news of the fire, he rushed to his stall to collect his goods, most were phones and spare parts. But when he arrived at the market, the fire was intense and spreading to many nearby stalls.

“I have nothing left. My goods are worth over $30,000. My stall burnt to the ground in the blink of an eye. Before leaving the market for my house, I turned off the light at the stall.

But why did the faulty electrical wiring happen?” he said