Firefighters rescued people from a blaze in Yangon using a cherry-picker on Thursday (Myo Kyaw Soe)

Yangon (AFP) – Scores of people were rescued from a blazing building in Myanmar’s commercial hub Yangon early Thursday, many brought to safety with a cherry-picker crane from the highest floors.

Around 60 fire trucks raced to the 12-storey apartment block as smoke and flames spread through the building.

No deaths had been reported by mid-morning and the cause of the blaze had not been established. 

Nyi Nyi, 34, told AFP he ran out of his home to warn his elderly neighbours but was forced to retreat after nearly passing out.

“I couldn’t see anything as it was too dark with smoke,” he said, adding firefighters arrived just in time.

The fire service rescued people with a cherry-picker as smoke billowed out across the street, causing traffic to snarl up.

After years of under-investment, Yangon’s downtown buildings have notoriously poor safety standards and fires are common. 

Disclaimer: Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Source: AFP.