A café and hotpot restaurant was gutted in a fire that broke out this morning in a colonial-era building on the corner of downtown Yangon’s Pansodan and Merchant streets.
The fire started at about 5am in Kafe in Town, according to sources, and has caused the temporary closure of popular restaurant Rangoon Tea House, which is located two doors down.
In between the two businesses and also likely impacted by the blaze is bakery Mya Sabei.
No injuries have been reported in the fire, which was extinguished by 6am, and its cause is yet to be known.
A representative for Rangoon Tea House told Myanmar Mix the restaurant would reopen tomorrow.
“Luckily, somehow, our building was not affected but we’d like to ensure the safety of our customers by ensuring that there are no fire hazards over on our side,” said the spokesperson.
Video taken by Myanmar Fire Services Department shows firefighters climbing through the upper window of Kafe in Town and dousing parts of the ground floor.
It was the third major fire in downtown Yangon in just as many weeks. Last Thursday firefighters tackled a blaze on 37th Street and on 20 February dozens of people were injured in a fire that tore through Than Zay market.
After he battled the market fire, a 70-year-old volunteer firefighter called for higher fire safety standards in downtown Yangon.
