113 Reported Dead in Burmese Fire

A fire that started in a kitchen raged across a northern Burmese city, killing 113 people and leaving 20,000 homeless, the government radio reported Tuesday.

The radio said the fire Sunday afternoon swept through 2,096 buildings, including two primary schools, within two hours in Lashio, a city of 200,000 about 450 miles northeast of Rangoon.

The report said most of the victims were trapped by the rapidly spreading fire, which began in the kitchen of a Chinese resident. The radio said more than 3,000 families lost their homes and damage was estimated at about $10 million.