Hundreds of animals killed after fire rips through Bangkok market
By Kocha Olarn and Alex Stambaugh, CNN
(CNN) — Hundreds of animals are believed to have died after a fire ripped through Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak animal market on Tuesday, according to local authorities.
The fire started around 4:10 a.m. local time in Sri Somrat market, in Chatuchak, where live fish and animals were being sold, the Chatuchak administrative office said.
It ripped through 118 shops before being extinguished less than 30 minutes later, it added.
Bangkok authorities said no one was injured in the blaze, but “lots of pet animals” were affected. It said the damaged area is estimated to be around 1,400 square meters (about 15,000 square feet).
Dogs, cats, rabbits, snakes, birds, fish and chickens were among the animals affected, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s emergency unit 911.
Authorities have not yet disclosed the cause of the fire.
One pet shop owner, Natthanicha K, who requested that only her first name and last initial be used, told CNN that she lost all 400 of her exotic snakes as a result of the fumes.
“They didn’t die from fire but they died from the smoke as they suffocated,” she said.
She said the snakes were worth about 5 million Thai Baht ($136,000).
Photos and video shared by authorities showed more than a dozen firefighters and emergency workers responding to the incident.
Some videos show cages engulfed in heavy flames and smoke.
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