Two young brothers were tragically killed when a fire broke out in their Battambang home. The boys’ mother had locked them into the house while she went to tend to a vegetable garden.

The horrific incident occurred in the village of Angcheung, in Thma Kol district’s Tameun Commune.

A National Police statement identified the deceased as 12-year-old Sitha Savady and 5-year-old Sitha Sovanda.

Their mother, Hun Sokunthy, 40, told police officers that on the day of the incident, she locked the house and went to weed her vegetable garden, located about 160 metres away.

While tending to her patch, she heard an explosion. She rushed back to the house, only to find it completely engulfed in flames. 

Some 60 litres of gasoline, two motorcycles and several gas bottles were stored in the home.

Police confirmed that the fire caused the deaths of two individuals and completely destroyed the five by twelve metre dwelling.

Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the fire. The Thma Kol district police did not dispatch a fire truck as the fire had already consumed the entire building.

District police chief Seng Luch was unavailable for comment on February 3.

Soth Kimkolmony, spokesperson for the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), reported that in 2024, there were 823 fires recorded across the Kingdom. They resulted in at least 20 deaths and 59 injuries.  

Phnom Penh experienced the highest number of fires, with 150, followed by Battambang with 87 and Siem Reap with 54. The fires destroyed 837 houses, 274 market stalls and 24 warehouses.  

In addition, there were more than 120 lightning strikes in 2024, causing at least 68 deaths and 55 injuries.