An office of the Burmese military intelligence, Sarafa in Burmese, in Arakan State's Buthidaung Township was gutted in a fire that broke out in the early hours of Saturday, said several witnesses.

The blaze engulfed the building at 4 a.m. on Saturday. Intelligence officers were sleeping in the building at the time but were able to escape with the help of local residents.

Over 100 local residents rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire, and did so after 30 minutes with help from some firemen from the Buthidaung fire brigade.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire started from a candle that was left burning in front of a small prayer room in the building. By the time army officials noticed the fire, half the building was engulfed.

The military intelligence office was located in downtown Buthidaung in Ward No. 6, where many other army offices are located.

Many important files, documents, and equipment were lost in the blaze, but no one was injured. No case has been filed yet with the local police station regarding the fire.