Central Thailand: Fire at Wat Suan Kaew kills three boys

A fire at Wat Suan Kaew’s monk quarters resulted in the tragic death of three boys who were trapped inside. The incident occurred last night. Initial investigations suggest an electrical short circuit may have caused the blaze.

Police officers from Bang Yai Police Station in Nonthaburi, along with the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, responded to reports at 11.45pm yesterday of three boys being severely burned to death at Wat Suan Kaew in Bang Len, Bang Yai. They subsequently coordinated with forensic physicians from the Institute of Forensic Science for further examination.

The scene was an old monk’s quarters with a steel structure lined with plywood, showing extensive fire damage. Inside, the bodies of three boys, one aged nine and two aged 11, were discovered charred.

The boys were identified as 11 year olds Pannawit and Pannawat who were twin brothers, and nine year old Theerapong. All three were orphans under the care and support of the temple, attending school through its assistance.

Preliminary checks revealed signs of an electrical fault at a steel post where a power socket was located, and an active electrical short circuit. The authorities immediately contacted the electricity department to cut off the power supply.

An interview with a temple worker revealed that the twin brothers usually stayed in the old quarters alone. On the night of the fire, two other boys were playing with the twins. One of these boys returned to a nearby building to sleep before the fire broke out.

Testimony

A temple worker, Ta, recounted his experience.

“The head monk alerted me about the fire. I rushed to extinguish it with a fire extinguisher. At first, I didn’t know there were children inside. It was only after putting out the flames that I saw the three boys trapped inside.

“I don’t know what caused the fire, but it might have been the children playing with fire. Usually, only two boys sleep here but another sneaked in around 10pm before the incident. All three were temple children, and the cause of the fire is still unknown.”

Police collected evidence and confirmed that the three boys were orphans under the temple’s care. Initial assumptions point to an electrical short circuit, possibly exacerbated by rain that caused a short circuit in the steel structure, leading to the fire. The boys could not escape and were subsequently burned to death, reported Sanook.

The bodies were handed over to the Ruamkatanyu Foundation for transfer to the Institute of Forensic Science for autopsy.