A fire that started in a motorbike repair shop near Soutsaka Institute of Technology in Phonepanao Village, Xaysettha District on Sunday has wiped out several houses and shops in the vicinity.
The fire was reported at approximately 10:15 pm on Sunday and it took twenty firefighters three hours to extinguish the flames. By then, it had already engulfed several shops in the area as most of them were constructed of wood.
Two houses and five rental units were gutted, but no injuries or deaths were reported from the incident.
Mr. Viengphet, 49, owned the motorcycle repair shop where the fire began, and then moved on to wreak havoc in nearby establishments as well.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident and estimating the damage caused by it.
Lieutenant Colonel Phonethep Bounpasert, Deputy of Vientiane Fire Prevention and Protection Police Department, said during an interview that five fire incidents were reported, between July and August this year, which caused LAK 400 million (USD 23,221) in damages.
Most fire incidents were caused by electric short circuits and burning of garbage.
The Vientiane Fire Prevention and Protection Police Department has a fire reporting hotline at 1190.
