At least 10 dead & 30 injured in fierce casino fire in Cambodia

At least 10 people died in a fierce fire incident in the early hours of this morning at the Grand Diamonds City and Casino in Poipet city in Cambodia, on the border with Thailand.

According to a report on Channel 3, the blaze started on the 7th and 8th floors of a 17-storey building in the Grand Diamonds City at about 12.25am. Black smoke was spotted billowing from windows on the two floors before more flames sparked and the fire engulfed the whole floor within minutes.

Firefighters gradually evacuated people from the building but many gamblers were still trapped inside, along with Thai and Cambodian workers.

The fire later spread to the lower floors where many victims were waiting to be evacuated. Some fearful victims jumped off the building to escape the fire.

Firefighters were heard yelling out to them in Thai and Cambodian to stop jumping.

One local firefighter bravely fought a lone battle for two hours to control the blaze. His fight wasn’t helped by the building’s fabrics which provided fuel for the fire and there was not enough water pressure to put out the fire.

At about 4am, the fire spread to other buildings nearby. More firefighters joined the fight against the flames, using an ultra-high-pressure engine to support the mission. Thailand also sent a team and firefighting vehicles to the scene.

At 9am the local media reported that the firefighters had about 70% of the blaze under control.

The report also confirmed that at least 10 victims died at the scene and they were mostly Thai nationals. Some 30 others suffered from injuries after jumping from the building while others had to deal with smoke inhalation.

Some of the injured victims were sent to Thai hospitals in the Arayaprathet district in the Isaan province of Sa Kaeo.

One Twitter user, @aodbu, reported at about 9.30am that things had improved. The local and Thai rescue teams managed to get all of the injured victims out of the building. The user added that there was a strong wind causing a struggle for the firefighters.

A gas tank explosion is believed to be the reason behind the blaze but a further investigation will be conducted after the fire is completely under control.

คิดถึงสภาพจิตใจคนที่อยู่ในห้อง อยู่บนดาดฟ้าที่รอความช่วยเหลือ …. pic.twitter.com/IC0xvDm0D9

— BU (@aodbu) December 28, 2022

รถน้ำเทศบาลตําบลบ้านใหม่หนองไทร อ.อรัญประเทศ กู้ภัยสว่าง เข้าช่วยเหตุเพลิงไหม้คาสิโน ปอยเปต มีคนไทยอยู่ในตึก pic.twitter.com/GiS7gzmC6b

— BU (@aodbu) December 28, 2022

ภาวนาให้ลมเปลี่ยนทิศครับ
Grand diamond ปอยเปต pic.twitter.com/f26AKgJvMX

— BU (@aodbu) December 28, 2022

มีชุดกู้ภัยจากกัมพูชา 4 นาย จะร่วมเข้าค้นหาร่วมกับกู้ภัยไทย pic.twitter.com/hCJznq5Suk

— BU (@aodbu) December 29, 2022