Fire tore through a popular Sihanoukville nightclub at around midnight last night, severely injuring a male singer, a fire official confirmed today.

The fire at LV Disco, which burned until about 1:30 a.m., caused life-threatening burns to 33-year-old Bou Seyha, said Buor Sothy, deputy chief of the Preah Sihanouk fire department.

“Many witnesses that went to the night club claimed that before the fire started, they heard an explosion of [the electrical rig] right over the band stage and then the fire started and [the rig] fell onto the band stage,” Sothy said. “Almost all of the stuffs in the club were burned.”

While authorities initially concluded the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction, Sothy said a committee would conduct an investigation on the cause.

The victim, Seyha, was first sent to a local referral hospital, but his family had him transferred at 4:30 a.m. to Cho Ray general hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, due to the severity of the burns.

Updates to follow.