1,000 animals die in a fire at a famous market in Bangkok

A fire at Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak open-air market early Tuesday killed around 1,000 animals and destroyed nearly 100 shops.

Birds, dogs, cats and snakes were burned in their cages in the pet zone, where rats, pythons and geckos were also found.

The fire was caused by a short circuit, authorities said. No human casualties or injuries were reported.

The incident sparked renewed calls for authorities to close the petting area, which has long been criticized for the poor living conditions of the animals and reportedly leads to high rates of illness and mortality.

With tens of thousands of shops in its narrow streets, Chatuchak is one of the largest markets in Southeast Asia.

It is also the largest and most famous weekend market in Thailand and is said to attract almost 200,000 tourists every Saturday and Sunday.

However, the part of the market where pets are sold is open all week. This accounts for about four of the 27 sections of Chatuchak Market and is arguably the most controversial area there.

This market area is subject to regular controls.

“When I arrived here, everything was gone, everything burned down,” said Amporn Wannasut, a shopkeeper who rushed to the market after being informed of the fire.

“I couldn’t do anything because it was dark inside too. I couldn’t help them at all. They were all gone.”

The 42-year-old sold turtles, pythons and king snakes as pets.

“I don’t even know what to do next. I think we have to start over again, but I don’t know how,” she adds. “I froze some of the dead snakes so we can calculate how much (money) we lost.”

According to a preliminary inspection, the fire damaged most of the 118 stores in the approximately 15,000-square-foot pet zone.

When the BBC arrived at the market on Tuesday afternoon, shopkeepers were queuing up to make their compensation claims. Some of them looked distressed and several were crying.

There were also people taking selfies in front of the destroyed shops, despite police warning them not to approach the affected buildings as they could collapse.

A shop owner named Meecha described her narrow escape to online news channel Thaiger, saying she was woken up by the screams of animals in the attic above her shop.

“Suddenly the air was full of thick smoke, making it impossible to breathe,” said Meecha, who climbed to safety through a window.

Some shop owners actually live in the market, but it is unclear how many were there when the fire broke out.

According to the Chatuchak district office, the fire broke out at about 4:10 a.m. local time on Tuesday (9:10 p.m. GMT on Monday) and was extinguished 30 minutes later.

Pictures on the internet showed large parts of the cages in flames and charred. Some of them appear to have lost their shape due to the burning.

The animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said the fire “underscores the urgent need for action.”

“Animals are not there to entertain us… PETA is calling on the Thai government to ensure that this facility, where captive animals suffer, is never reopened,” said Jason Baker, the organization’s vice president.

The Wildlife Friends Foundation in Thailand called the Chatuchak Market a “disgrace for Bangkok.”

“Many of these poor animals are smuggled into the country, often illegally. This is immoral, cruel, a health and safety risk and completely unnecessary,” said foundation director Edwin Wiek.

“The Bangkok city government must act and put an end to this senseless animal cruelty,” he said.