Fifteen people were killed and one injured in a fire that broke at a KTV lounge in Magwe. The injured woman is in a critical condition, and is being treated at the Magwe Region Hospital, according to the regional Fire Brigade.

The fire broke out at the lounge that was in an air-conditioned restaurant named Shwe Myat Min Thamee, located at the corner of Myinthar 29th Street and Thitsar Street in Magwe.

The fire is said to have broken out at 10:04pm on April 2, according to a press release by the township fire service department.

“It is a two-storey building. Five air-conditioners were installed on its second floor and a sound box for the KTV was also in use. We found that powerful electric coil stoves and electric fans were also used on the ground floor. All electrical devices were meant for only household use, and it is assumed that the fire was caused by excessive voltage to the wiring. Chan Myae Aung, a waiter at the restaurant, said he saw smokes coming out from a passage between a room where the owner lived and the customer’s cubicle.

U Soe Nyunt, head of Magwe township fire department told The Myanmar Times that the waiter said that he “alerted others in the restaurant and asked that someone turn off the mains as he ran along the passage. Chan Myae Aung  said that fire began to engulf the passageway soon after and he escaped by jumping down from a balcony.”

The property where the KTV lounge opened was a residential home and converted into a restaurant. As such there were no emergency exits. U Soe Nyunt said soundproofed silicon walls were very combustible material and made the fire spread fast killing the 11 men and four women.
“Walls were made of sponge-like silicon so they made the fire burn with great intensity which gave off poisonous gas. Many victims fell unconscious and couldn’t get out,” he said.

The air-conditioned restaurant was granted a KTV and liquor license, Magwe township administrator U Myint Lwin confirmed. “But, we need to investigate because women were present at the time,” he added.

The building was rented and the restaurant owner, U Ye Nyunt has fled. The Magwe Myoma police station has filed a police report against the owner.

– Translation by Zar Zar Soe