A fire, possibly deliberately set, broke out at the Basic Education High School (BEHS) in Ingapu Township in Ayeyarwady Region’s Hinthada District, at about 2:00 a.m. on 17 October.

The fire might have been started on purpose as it broke out at the same time in different areas of the school, according to a local.

He said: “If it was a short or overheating from a power line the fire would have started in one place. But, because it was burning in several areas and even after the fire brigade arrived it took a long time for the fire to be extinguished.”

He said that more than 10 fire engines from Hinthada District attended the blaze.

An official from the Ayeyarwady Fire Service Department said to Mizzima that the fire had been caused by old cables in a classroom that overheated and set fire to books underneath them.

Over one thousand tables and chairs were consumed by the fire and 24 classrooms were damaged. It has been estimated that the cost of the damage was 49,100,000 kyats.

The police at Ingapu Township Police Station are preparing a lawsuit against the school’s security guard, U Tun Wai Lin, according to locals.