SVAY RIENG PROVINCE — A major fire broke out in the early hours of March 17, 2026, at Phsar Veal Youn in Svay Rieng City, destroying 30 vendor stalls and causing significant financial losses estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The blaze erupted at approximately 3:30 a.m., engulfing several stalls in the western-central section of the market located in Veal Youn Village, Sangkat Svay Rieng.
According to Brigadier General Prak Chhut, Deputy Police Commissioner in charge of fire prevention at the Provincial Police Headquarters, the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit.
A security guard stationed at an ATM booth outside the market reported seeing smoke rising from the center of the market around 2:30 a.m. He attempted to contact the market’s internal security personnel but was unable to reach them. By around 3:00 a.m., visible flames had intensified, prompting a call to city police requesting emergency fire response.
Due to the location of the affected stalls being far from the road, it took time to extend hoses into the market, allowing the fire to spread rapidly to adjacent stalls.
A total of six fire trucks were deployed to the scene to combat the blaze. The response included two units from the Provincial Police Headquarters, one from the Svay Rieng City Police, and an additional three units from the Provincial Military Police.
Firefighters used approximately 20 water tankers and battled the blaze for more than three and a half hours, finally bringing it under control at around 6:00 a.m.
Authorities determined that the fire originated from a shoe stall in the central intersection area of the market. The flames quickly spread to nearby stalls selling perfumes and aerosol insecticide sprays, causing multiple explosions as the pressurized cans ignited. The fire then spread across three rows of stalls from east to west.
Witnesses reported hearing explosion sounds before flames became visible.
The fire completely destroyed 30 stalls out of the market’s total 625 stalls.
Affected businesses included grocery stalls, shoe and clothing vendors, and sellers of perfume and insecticides. Additionally, the blaze destroyed stalls belonging to rice and meat vendors, as well as those selling incense and plastic bags.
Preliminary estimates suggest total damages may exceed $300,000, though investigations are ongoing.
One vendor, Ms. Srey Leas, 28 years old and eight months pregnant, tearfully recounted her loss.
She had borrowed $5,000 from a bank on March 16 to purchase clothing stock for her stall. After performing a blessing ceremony that afternoon to pray for prosperous business, she awoke at 4:00 a.m. to find her stall completely destroyed.
She estimates her clothing inventory loss at $25,000. Her husband’s adjacent shoe stall also burned down, resulting in an additional $10,000 in damages — bringing their total family loss to approximately $35,000.
Many residents and vendors criticized the market’s security company for negligence.
Despite smoke being visible as early as 2:30 a.m., internal security personnel reportedly failed to respond promptly. Vendors questioned where security staff were during the critical early stages of the fire.
Some claimed security guards often turned off market lighting as early as 5:30 p.m., creating dark conditions even before vendors had finished closing their stalls.
One security guard stated he was on duty but was seated at the southern side of the market and did not notice the fire until residents began shouting.
Following the incident, provincial launched a formal investigation.
Senior officials present at the scene included Deputy Police Commissioner Nop Chamroeun, the Svay Rieng City Governor, and the City Police Chief. They were joined by the Deputy Commander of the Provincial Military Police, the Sangkat Svay Rieng Chief, and various elements of the mixed security forces.
Authorities have officially pledged to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the fire’s origin as well as the effectiveness of the emergency security response.
This incident highlights ongoing safety concerns in traditional markets, particularly the heightened electrical safety risks in densely packed markets.
Response efforts were notably hindered by the market’s complex layout and existing access constraints, raising further questions regarding private security accountability within these zones. Furthermore, the blaze has highlighted the extreme vulnerability of small-scale vendors, many of whom rely heavily on informal credit and loans to sustain their livelihoods.
While only 30 of the 625 total stalls were lost, officials emphasized that the outcome could have been catastrophic had the fire spread beyond the initial containment zone.
