Fire-ravaged Mingalar Market, gutted by an almost two-day blaze, will be renovated and temporary facilities arranged for vendor fire victims, the Rangoon City Development Committee has said.

The move came from City Secretary Than Win who met shop owners from the fourth floor of the market at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon at Mingalar Market Prayer Hall in Kyartawya Street, Bahan Township. He said a temporary market space was being sought for those affected by the fire.

The new marketplace may be announced in three days, he added.

The fire broke out at about 8:30 a.m. yesterday and the smoke was still billowing from the market after at least 30 hours. Fire crews were still dousing the smouldering ruins.

A divisional fire department official said that only this afternoon had about two thirds of the flammable or explosive materials been removed from the fourth floor.

The noxious smoke from the damaged building is covering surrounding areas, forcing senior citizens and sick people to move to areas free of the health hazard.

“Our family had to move to our sister’s home in Kamayut last night. The smoke is so thick that it could cause suffocation,” Myint Khaing, a resident of 134th Street, Tamwe Township, said. “So we decided to move to a safer area.”

The City Municipal Committee invited all shop owners from all floors of the market for a meeting tomorrow at 9 a.m. at Tamwe Township State High School No. 1.

The Rangoon Division Fire Department was as yet unable to release an estimate for the cost of damaged property, but it would be a department record for the length of time taken to extinguish a fire, an official said.

A cosmetic store owner said: “I lost everything in my shop; more than 60 million Kyats (US$60,000) in goods and 25 million Kyats for the shop itself … I lost everything in this fire”.

One pharmacy owner, who  had expanded his business by buying another shop just last week and was running his businesses with working capital of 300 million Kyats,  said: “I can console myself as I can earn more money as long as I’m alive.”

“I’ve just rented a shop this morning in Mingalar Mon market and I’m planning to restart my business,” he said.

Mingalar Mon market adjoins the area near the damaged Mingalar Market.

A fireman said water was knee-deep on third floor of Mingalar Market and that most of the textiles, cookies, sweets and general merchandise were destroyed.