About 270 houses in Chaung Oo village, 20 miles from Pale township, Sagaing Division, were set on fire by a joint force of Military Council soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee, a pro-military group, according to a villager.

"Military troops entered the village around 8:30 a.m. and they started setting fire from the north of the village. They were also shooting. So far, we heard that there are only 15 houses left in the village," a Chaung Oo villager told Mizzima.

There are almost 300 houses in the village and the houses were deliberately set on fire without any fighting, according to locals.

"We have been fleeing it since yesterday because of the news. Pets are also being moved at the same time. I don't know if our house is gone," a villager who fled said.

No one dared to put out the fires as soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee were firing in the village.

"We have to collect the money and build it to get a house. Now I'm sad that it was deliberately set on fire," said a worker who said he spent three years to afford to build a house. He said he prayed the assailants would suffer Karma for what they had done.

An aerial photo of Chaung Oo village, which has been circulating on social media, shows smoke billowing from almost every house in the village.

Arson appears to be a common strategy used by Military Council forces in Sagaing who appear to suspect villagers of harbouring People’s Defence Forces. The region has seen heavy attacks on civilians over several months.