Looters take advantage of fires to ransack PNG shops

Police fired warning shots as looters ransacked Asian shops after fires broke out in the Papua New Guinea highlands town of Mt Hagen.

As ill-equipped firefighters yesterday struggled to control blazes in two buildings, crowds of looters moved in to rob the burning buildings and other nearby shops.

Police fired warning shots and teargas as they engaged in running fights with stone-throwing looters, PNG newspapers reported today.

After about three hours, the fires and the looting were brought under control but many of Mt Hagen's shops and businesses remained closed for the rest of the day.

The city's only operating fire truck arrived after the fire started in a kitchen of one of the buildings around 7.30am (0930 NZT).

Shop owner Robin Fong and his family were rescued from the smoking Tengfie Trading building after police ordered security personnel to break down the doors.

But while firefighters battled the flames with no protective clothing and inadequate water pressure, looters rushed in to ransack the burning buildings and surrounding shops.

Asian shopkeepers and their staff were powerless to stop the mass onslaught of looters.

Even schoolchildren were seen running from the shops with armfuls of store goods including food, clothing and kitchenware.

An extra fire engine from the city's airport eventually arrived to help extinguish the flames.

Mt Hagen Chamber of Commerce president Kevin Murphy said the fire service did the best it could but it was poorly-equipped and needed proper support from the city council and provincial government.

Business houses in the city paid their taxes but did not get adequate fire protection in return, only a dysfunctional fire service, he said.