Phaya Thai: Condo fire claims life of elderly woman, 20 injured

A devastating fire broke out in a condominium in the Phaya Thai district, causing more than 20 residents to choke on smoke and resulting in the tragic demise of a 70 year old woman.

The cause of the fire was traced back to a room used by a mango trader for storage and fruit ripening.

At around 12.35am this morning, the Phaya Thai Police Station received a distress call about a fire in a condominium in Soi Phetchaburi 15, Phetchaburi Road, Thanon Phaya Thai. The fire was reported in a 27-storey building, specifically on floors 20 and 21, causing many residents to flee down the fire escape stairs.

Some residents, in a bid to escape the flames, ran up to the rooftop. The response team was quick to help evacuate residents before dousing the fire with water. It took roughly 30 minutes to control the fire and efforts were immediately made to remove smoke and extinguish any lingering embers.

The initial investigation revealed that the room where the fire started belonged to 74 year old Kittipong (surname withheld), a fruit vendor who used the room for storage and for ripening mangoes using a gas fruit ripener.

Kittipong reportedly slept in his pick-up truck in the building’s level 8 parking lot. It was found that a similar fire had broken out in the same room about a month ago, caused by an electrical short circuit in the air conditioner compressor, reported KhaoSod.

Investigation

The case is currently being looked at by the investigation department to determine the exact cause of the fire. Several people were injured due to smoke inhalation during the incident. The nature of the charges that will be pressed will depend on whether the incident was intentional or due to negligence.

The owner of the room stated that he sells sticky rice with mangoes, and whether he used gas for ripening the fruit is still being investigated.

This fire incident led to minor injuries for over 20 people due to smoke inhalation and one fatality, a 70 year old woman, who was unconscious and later passed away while being transported to Rajavithi Hospital.