Nearly 300 shops in Myoma market of Minbya township were destroyedby the fire resulting in a loss of around Kyats 30 billion. The fire fightersbelieve that the fire could be a case of arson.

Ko Shwe Htoo, secretary of Minbya free funeral service society,who supported the fire fighting efforts, revealed that one market remainsintact. The rest were completely destroyed, he added.

The fire started at 10:30 pm on 12 April and it was seemingly anact of arson as the  fire didn't originate in a single location.

“Till we arrived, the entire market caught fire. If it had startedfrom one spot, it would have remained confined to that area. Two separateplaces were burning simultaneously without any source of ignition. Thissuggests a deliberate arson," he explained.

 The local residents reported that a jet fighter and a dronehovered over the town at 10:15 pm on  that day and hence the fire incidentshould be investigated properly.

Currently,Minbya township of Rakhine State falls under the control of Arakha Army (AA) on6 February.

"When we were fleeing, the market was burned down. During thetown's takeover battle, a number of pagodas, monasteries and private buildingswere destroyed,” said a Minbya resident.