Hundreds of caged animals died Tuesday after a fire struck Chatuchak Weekend Market, one of the most famous markets in Thailand's capital.The fire was reported early in the morning and quickly swept across more than 100 shops in the market's pet section, according to the Bangkok government. Authorities said the blaze was started by an electrical short circuit, the BBC reported.Officials said it took them about an hour to bring the fire under control.
urges the Thai government to ensure that this facility, where captive animals suffer, never reopens,' said the group's senior vice-president Jason Baker.The Wildlife Friends Foundation in Thailand described the market as a 'shame on Bangkok,' the BBC reported.'Many of these poor animals are smuggled into the country, often illegally. It is immoral, cruel, a health and safety hazard, and completely unnecessary,' the foundation's director Edwin Wiek said.