In areas that are strongly resisting the junta its soldiers are increasingly occupying whole villages and setting fire to villages for no reason, leading to the destruction of many properties.
In the past week, the military torched many villages one after another in Sagaing Region.
Dann Kone village in Sagaing’s Khin U Township was set on fire on 5 March. About 80 junta troops who came from Yay U Township occupied Nal Thit Kone Village and from there they fired artillery into Dann Kone and Mhan Taw villages, starting fires.
The fires started by the military destroyed 120 houses out of total of 250. Locals said a five-year-old child was also injured by the artillery fire.
Dann Kone Village is one of the areas of Sagaing where internet access has been cut.
On 5 March, the junta military occupied Sagaing’s Chaung Ma Village at the intersection of the Monywa- Yar Gyi and Monywa-Kani highways about 13 miles south of Kani Township on 5 March by junta troops who torched and destroyed houses on the night of 6 March.
Wa Bar Village, in Sagaing Region’s Depayin Township, was also set on fire on 5 March. Over 60 houses out of about 200 in the village were destroyed and many cattle were killed, but no one was injured. A War Bar villager said: ““About 30 of them came into the village. They have torched the village twice before. This is the third time. We don’t know why they do this. 63 houses were burnt. Livestock were also burned and died. The loss of property will amount to billions of Kyat”
Internet access has been cut since 3 March in most townships in Sagaing Region and the military is continuously arresting and killing villagers, and setting villages on fire. Besides houses, agricultural machinery and vehicles have also been torched. Houses have also been broken into, possessions have been stolen and furniture has been destroyed.
The Data for Myanmar group, which is researching the consequences of fighting, reported on 2 March that since the military coup on 1 February 2021 until 1 March 2022, 6,158 houses were set on fire nationwide. 3,689 houses were destroyed in Sagaing Region, more than in any other region.
As well as the military setting fires there have also been fires starting because of power outages and electrical problems. These have also caused a lot of damage and the sound of fire engines is frequently heard, triggering discomfort in many people.
A fire that started from an electric pan at about 2 a.m on 5 March burnt down 12 houses between Kyaung Street and Pwint Thit Sa Street in Kyun Thar Yar Ward, Bago Township. The Fire Department believes that the electric pan had been left connected to a power source during the power outage and when the power returned it had overheated and started the fire.
According to aid workers 12 houses that were home to 17 households were burned down and about 70 people were affected. A fire rescue camp has been set up at Thirizayyar monastic school to provide free food and clothes to the victims.
A fire in Ayeyarwady Region started from the remnants of a charcoal fire someone had used for cooking because of a power outage. It destroyed nearly 40 houses.
In Kyone Tine Kalay Village in Pantanaw Township, Ayeyarwady Region, a fire started from the remains of a fire in a stove in a bamboo house with a palm leaf roof. It spread and destroyed 30 other bamboo houses with palm roofs and six wooden houses with tin roofs. The Ayeyarwady fire department said it caused 6,804,000 Kyats of damage.
Previously there was electricity 24 hours a day in many places, but now the electricity supply is irregular and there are rolling blackouts. Many people only have electricity for about six hours a day and they do not know at when they will have electricity because the electric companies do not make announcements about power cut times.
In areas where people are not used to power cuts, they are causing fires because people are not used to taking adequate precautions to prevent them.
Though there have been many more electrical fires since the coup the amount of destruction they have caused is minimal when compared to the destruction caused by the military setting fires.
