Two boys rescued from Daun Penh blaze

Khouth Sophak Chakrya | Publication date 15 January 2018 | 19:29 ICT

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A screenshot of a video posted to Facebook showing fire fighters attempting to battle a blaze in Daun Penh this afternoon. Facebook

Two boys sustained serious burns shortly before they were rescued from a blaze that erupted in a fourth-floor home in the capital's Daun Penh district this afternoon.

The 5-year-old cousins were taking an afternoon nap and were locked into the apartment by their grandmother, who went downstairs to buy some noodles for lunch, according to their aunt Phan Srey Touch, 31.

“I got information from the people at the site – before they saw the fire, they heard both boys yelling ‘help me, help me, I’m hurt!’, but when they rushed to help, the door was locked,” she said.

A dramatic video posted to Facebook this afternoon shows several fire fighters dousing themselves in water and attempting to enter the flaming room. Unsuccessful, they then dislodged a wooden-slat window from its metal frame and lifted the boys out of the room.

The boys were taken to the intensive care unit at Kantha Bopha IV hospital near Wat Phnom with large burns to their backs.

Phsar Chas Commune Police Chief Nuth Chetra said the blaze was sparked by an electrical malfunction, noting the home’s single power outlet was supporting a powerboard full of devices, including three fans, a refrigerator, a television, a CD player and speakers.

He added the boys’ grandmother panicked after she was alerted to the fire and was unable to find her keys quickly, but police did not believe the fire was deliberately lit.

Another fire ravaged several homes in Toek Thla commune today, according to Sen Sok District Governor Mov Manith.

The fires follow yet another blaze on Sunday in Chak Angre Leu commune, Meanchey District, after a gas cylinder exploded, seriously injuring three people.