BANGKOK: A fire ripped through pet shops next to Bangkok’s famed Chatuchak market early on Tuesday (Jun 11), killing caged dogs, cats, birds and snakes and damaging more than 100 stalls, police said.
The fire is believed to have started in the ornamental fish zone in Srisomrat Market, adjacent to the bigger Chatuchak, around 4am (5am, Singapore time), according to Tivakorn Prongseng, a police inspector investigating the case.
The blaze spread to more than 100 stalls across about 1,300 sq m, he told AFP.
There were no reports of human casualties but multiple caged animals were found dead at the market, which belongs to the State Railway of Thailand, he said.
The fire was extinguished by 6am (7am, Singapore time) and the cause is being investigated, Tivakorn added.
Local media reported that hundreds of pets had died in the fire, but Tivakorn said it was too early to say how many had perished.
