Fire at famous Bangkok market kills 1,000 animals

BANGKOK: Around 1,000 animals were killed in a fire in Bangkok’s famous open-air Chatuchak market on Tuesday, gutting nearly 100 shops. A fire ripped through pet shops, 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 4:00 am (2100 GMT), according to Tivakorn Prongseng, a police inspector investigating the case. The blaze spread to more than 100 stalls across about 1,300 square metres, he said.