Big blaze at Rock centre
DOZENS of firetrucks converged on Phnom Penh’s Rock Entertainment Centre yesterday to fight a blaze that began in the late afternoon and continued to burn into the night.
Chamkarmon District Police Chief Yin San told The Post that the fire began at around 4:30pm at the entertainment complex on Monivong Boulevard, owned by Cambodian conglomerate Royal Group. Oknha Kith Thieng, the brother of tycoon Kith Meng, is the CEO and general manager of the complex.
Neth Vantha, director of the Interior Ministry’s Fire Prevention Department, said the fire began in the back room of a hotel at the complex, which includes a nightclub and spa, among other venues, and as of 9pm had not spread to other buildings. He said two firefighters had been sent to hospital after inhaling smoke, but as of press time no other injuries were known.
“Now there are 31 firetrucks brought to this area to intervene,” he said, noting that aside from the firetrucks permanently assigned to the airport, every single one of Phnom Penh’s fire trucks had been dispatched to the scene.
“As of now, there is no one injured from the fire,” he said. However, as of press time, firefighters were still unable to reach the part of the hotel where the fire had originated.
Flames were visible around 8pm when the fire appeared to reach its peak. An hour later, smoke continued to rise from the front of the building.