15 year old dies in Chiang Mai boarding house fire

PHOTO: Chiang Mai City Life

A 15 year old girl has died following a fire that engulfed the living areas of a Christian boarding school in Fang district, north of Chiang Mai city, this morning. Fang police were alerted at 1:30am about the fire at the Christian Paolo School that is run by the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand.

Ten fire engines were dispatched to tackle the fire that was raging through the two storey boarding house. All but one of the 74 children escaped, assisted by firefighters. The boarding house accommodates 28 boys and 46 girls, most of them from hill tribes.

After the fire was eventually extinguished hours later, the charred body of Saenghom Omsin was found on the second floor. The students told police that they believe the fire was started by a short circuit in a ceiling fan in her room before it spread.

Police suspect that Saenghom went underneath her bed instead of running out.

SOURCE: The Nation, Chiang Mai City Life