Fiery cables ignite chaos, but Bangkok pedestrians escape fire unscathed (video)

Shocked pedestrians looked on in horror as cables caught fire at lunchtime today outside KKP Tower in Bangkok. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

Auxiliary firefighters dashed to the scene and quickly extinguished the fire as shocked lunchtime onlookers watched in awe as sparks turned into a blaze and rubber dripped dangerously onto the pavement below on Soi Sukhumvit 21, Khlong Toei Nuea, Wattana.

One observer, Darren Lyons, admitted he was alarmed by the incident, adding that the capital’s hanging cables were an “accident waiting to happen.” The 37 year old Englishman said…

“I was out buying lunch from a nearby market when the blaze sparked. It’s hardly surprising though. There are thousands of metres of hanging cables throughout Bangkok. It’s only a matter of time before they all catch fire. It’s an accident waiting to happen.

“The government promised to bury all of the city’s cables almost 40 years ago and there they are, still hanging dangerously above our heads. It’s about time they fulfilled their promise.”

The project to bury Bangkok’s hanging cables began in 1984. Since then about 60 kilometres of its 236 kilometres of cables have been buried.

Last year, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt revealed a plan to complete a project to rid the metropolis of its eyesore cables.

Chadchart revealed a two-part plan to finish the 39 year old project to remove the city’s messy power cables, replace them with new, and bury them beneath the ground.

The 57 year old governor did not put a timescale on completing the plan but acknowledged a large majority of the untidy electrical cables dangling in eye-view around the Bangkok streets were no longer in use and could be removed.

Chadchart says Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is coordinating with the Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, and relevant departments, to get rid of those dead wires.

The city chief admitted the second solution of moving cables underground would take a bit more time but says talks are already underway with the city’s relevant departments.

Chadchart said…

“Let’s clean it up first because the underground cable project requires more budget and discussion.”

Read more about Bangkok’s perilous cables HERE.