VIDEO: Fire falls like rain from communication cables in Bangkok

Fire fell like rain onto the road in Bangkok this morning in yet another communication cable fire. The clip was filmed near the entrance of Nidhiprinya School in Din Daeng district at around 4am.

Burning plastic dripped from the amass of glowing cables onto the and onto a lorry parked below.

The Twitter user who posted the clip said the fire was swiftly extinguished. Luckily no one was injured and the only damage done was to the contents of the lorry. It is unclear whether the fire impacted power in the area.

In July, communication cables caught fire causing a big blaze on Soi Lad Phrao in the Bang Kapi district of Bangkok.

A long time ago, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) launched a project to move 171.1 kilometres of haphazard communication cables underground. Not only would Bangkok look better, but it would be safer for everyone.

The BMA started the project and successfully buried 77.3 kilometres underneath Bangkok. However, the project’s progress was soon halted by the high investment costs amounting to 19 billion baht.

Deputy Governor of Bangkok Wisanu Subsompon appealed to the private and public sectors to chip in after the project’s budget ran out.

In a separate project, the Metropolitan Electricity Administration (MEA) is putting electric cables into underground ducts.

The issue of messy cables came into the spotlight again by movie star Russel Crowe when he posted a photo of Thai cables with the caption “Bangkok dreaming” on Twitter.

Crowe became an “unofficial ambassador” of Thai tourism when he tweeted about his Phuket Sandbox experience last year.

In May, Crowe was invited onto Thai TV to interview Bangkok governor candidates. Crowe questioned candidates on the issue of messy cables in the capital…

“What are your thoughts on visible powerlines? and what will you do to make beautiful Bangkok even more beautiful?”

Candidate Seetha Teewari said the future Bangkok governor wouldn’t have the budget to put the cables underground. Candidate Whittaya Jangorbphattana agreed it would be unrealistic to bury the cables underground because of the costs and suggested simply tidying up the cables instead.

The third candidate to respond, Phongsa Choonaem, said the cables are a “symbol of Bangkok” and shouldn’t go underground due to their charm. He said he would plant trees to make Bangkok more beautiful.

The winner of the election, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, addressed the capital’s cables in August. Chadchart says that Bangkok doesn’t have the budget to bury the cables, but pledged to “clean up” 800 kilometres worth of communicable cables in two years.

SOURCE: สรยุทธ สุทัศนะจินดา กรรมกรข่าว