Ex-general’s house goes up in flames under MFP MP’s watch

A fire erupted last night at a historic half-concrete, half-wooden house in Bangkok, once owned by General Chatichai Choonhavan and now home to Move Forward Party (MFP) MP Tisana Choonhavan.

The inferno ignited around 9.30pm, June 23, and was swiftly extinguished within half an hour, but not before causing extensive damage to roughly half of the property. Miraculously, there were no injuries or fatalities, according to Police Captain Chirasak Bunyuennan, Deputy Chief Investigator at Phaya Thai Police Station.

The fire likely originated from a short circuit within the innermost section of the house. This property is part of an 8-rai plot of land on Soi Ratchakhru, off Phahon Yothin Road in the Phaya Thai district. The house had been passed down from Gen. Chatichai to his son Kraisak Choonhavan, a former deputy leader of the Democrat Party.

Tisana and her younger sister were not present when the fire started. Tisana was working in a nearby house when someone alerted her to the smell of smoke and the sight of it billowing from the second floor of her home.

“Shortly afterwards, a loud explosion was heard, and then the flames raged very quickly.”

Luckily, a nearby pond provided a water source to help control the fire until a fire truck arrived. Tisana noted that the house’s electrical wiring was five to six decades old.

During the incident, Tisana began a live broadcast on social media to document the fire and firefighting efforts. Several notable figures, including former foreign minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara and former digital economy and society minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta, both relatives of Tisana, visited the scene during the broadcast.

MFP list-MP Rangsiman Rome was also seen visiting her during the live broadcast.

The police are continuing to investigate the incident, although initial findings suggest a short circuit as the cause, reported Bangkok Post.