Fire at Sisaket electric bike shop causes million-baht damage

A fire broke out at an electric motorcycle shop, quickly spreading to a nearby mobile phone store and a bank, resulting in millions of baht in damages. Police are investigating the cause of the blaze that occurred yesterday, September 19, at 5.30pm.

The incident took place in a two-storey building in the town of Rasisalai, Sisaket province. The fire reportedly started within the electric motorcycle shop, causing panic among residents as such an event had never occurred in the area before. Despite the efforts of local firefighters, the flames spread to adjacent properties, including a mobile phone store and a bank, said a local who witnessed the event.

“I was shocked to see the fire spreading so quickly. We heard a loud bang around 5pm, followed by smoke billowing out from the shop. Unfortunately, the shop was already closed, and we couldn’t do much except call for help.”

Sisaket Governor Anupong Suksomnit immediately took action by instructing Sarawut Songchom, the district chief of Rasi Salai, and Peeraphong Muenphong, the head of the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office, to coordinate the firefighting efforts.

Firetrucks from three districts, Rasi Salai, Uthumphon Phisai, and Sila Lat, were mobilised, along with over 20 fire engines and water trucks, to help control the blaze. It took the firefighters more than an hour to bring the fire under control, reported KhaoSod.

Jaturong Jongpakdee, the manager of the electric motorcycle shop, arrived at the scene shortly after being notified by his employees.

“The fire broke out after we had already closed the shop. Our inventory includes electric motorcycles, electric bicycles, and electric tricycles, totalling around 600,000 baht (US$18,110) in value.

“We always check the condition of the vehicles and remove the batteries before closing. I have no idea what caused the fire this time.”

Initial assessments revealed that the fire had damaged approximately seven units of the building, including four units of the electric motorcycle shop, one mobile phone store, one bank, and one noodle shop. The total estimated damage is around 1 million baht (US$30,190). Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities reported.