An electrical malfunction in a warehouse at a garment factory in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district sparked a fire yesterday morning, officials said.

The fire at the Chin Mei Yong factory started when an electrical outlet near a box of discarded garments set the box alight, said Saom Som Ath, director of the capital’s firefighting department.

“No workers were injured in the incident and the damage was not significant,” Som Ath said after the blaze was extinguished yesterday.

“The warehouse where the fire occurred stocked pieces of damaged clothes.”

Fire officials were alerted at about 9:20am, Som Ath said. By 10:25am, fire brigades from Phnom Penh and Kandal province had extinguished the flames.

“The fire started due to the negligence of the owner or a factory manager, who did not care about safety on the factory’s premises,” Som Ath said following an investigation.