Fire at Thailand’s Chatuchak Weekend Market kills hundreds of puppies, rabbits, other animals
- The Chatuchak Weekend Market is a major tourist draw, bringing in shoppers from all over the world to browse its hundreds of shops and stalls
Hundreds of caged animals died on Tuesday after a fire struck Chatuchak Weekend Market, one of the most famous markets in Thailand’s capital.
The fire was reported early in the morning and quickly swept across more than 100 shops in the market’s pet section, according to the Bangkok government.
The fire is believed to have started in the ornamental fish zone in Srisomrat Market, near the bigger Chatuchak, around 4:00am local time, according to Tivakorn Prongseng, a police inspector investigating the case.
Officials said it took them about an hour to bring the fire under control.
There are no reports of human casualties, but Thai media reports suggested the fire killed several hundred animals, including puppies, fish, snakes, birds and rabbits, kept in cages and locked inside the shops.
The cause of the fire is being investigated, said Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, who visited the scene after the fire was put out.
Officials could be seen at the site in the morning, inspecting the charred shops or breaking metal gates to bring out animals that survived the fire.