A marital spat over a $5 robe escalated quickly in Anlong Veng on Wednesday. A 56-year-old man lost his senses when his wife, 46, returned home with the offending garment.

After quarrelling briefly, the husband took it upon himself to set fire to the home before leaving his wife and their neighbour to try in vain to extinguish the flames.

Once the flames had died down, they had taken with them a 7.5-metre house and a nearby grocery store. The wife estimated the cost of the damage at $55,000.

Koh Santepheap