Jigme Choden & Sonam Chukey
Residents in Changbangdu contained a fire in one of the apartments before it could spread to the rest of the building yesterday morning. Tenants of the apartment left to Phuentsholing to perform their annual ritual three days ago.
Neighbours residing in the building barged into the unit breaking the main door and put out the fire. They found the apartment filled with smoke. “The bed in the master bedroom was on fire and the floor beneath the bed was burned and damaged. The walls of the room were jet black due to excessive smoke caused,” a resident said.
Neighbours said they smelled something burning from the apartment on the second floor since yesterday. One of the latches of the balcony door was broken. People could enter from the balcony. The resident of the house also claimed to have kept the kitchen and children’s room window open. The cause of the fire is suspected to be arson. Police are still investigating.