A house and three shops burned down in the incident, which was reportedly caused by faulty wiring.

A man and woman died in a fire in a phone shop in northern Shan State’s Kutkai Township on Tuesday.

Sources said they were both around 30 years old, but their exact ages were unknown at the time of reporting.

The Saytana phone stop was located in Ward 5 on the Lashio-Muse highway. Locals said that the fire was caused by faulty wiring.

“One house, a phone shop, an electrical shop, a grocery shop, and two vehicles burned,” Mai Aik, who works with the Kutkai Social Help Team, told SHAN. He added that some 7.5 million kyat (US$4,918) was also lost in the fire.

Three fire trucks from Kutkai and one each from Hsenwi and Lashio tried to extinguish the fire. It was finally put out at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

One victim, Sai San, entered the burning building to try to rescue his aunt, but died, according to a local source.

He was secretary of the Shan Literature and Culture Association in Kutkai town, and was active in the community.

“Sai San was a youth leader in Kutkai. [His death] is a big loss for youth. We are really upset about him,” a young person from Hsipaw told SHAN.