Huay Kaew temple in Phitsanulok suffers 200 million baht fire damage

A devastating fire swept through the renowned Huay Kaew temple in Phitsanulok, destroying a teakwood sermon hall and causing over 200 million baht in damages. The blaze, which reportedly originated in the kitchen, led the resident monks to flee for their lives and also engulfed a red-plate Toyota truck parked nearby. The incident occurred at approximately 2.30am today.

Upon receiving the distress call, Superintendent Sumet Suna of the Bang Kratum Police Station, together with various local government officials and rescue workers, rushed to the temple located at 27/3 Moo 3, Bang Kratum district, Phitsanulok province.

The two-story teakwood sermon hall, built in 2009, was fully engulfed in flames, raising fears that the fire might spread to the adjacent police flats and nearby residential houses. Despite the all-hands-on-deck efforts by firefighters, the highly combustible nature of teakwood made it a challenging task to contain the flames, taking over an hour to bring under control, reported KhaoSod.

Unfortunately, the fire had already razed the entire sermon hall by the time it was extinguished, and one monk who was guarding the hall suffered injuries. The red-plate Toyota truck with a Phitsanulok license plate, parked near the scene, suffered substantial damage due to the intense heat, with its paint, tail lights, and fibreglass components melting.

Initial investigations suggest that the fire originated from the kitchen following a local funeral ceremony that night. Further investigations are underway to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.

The Huay Kaew temple, a constituent of the Maha Nikaya Buddhist fraternity, is one of the oldest temples in Phitsanulok. The two-story teakwood sermon hall, built in 2009, is believed to be the largest of its kind in Thailand.

After the funeral ceremony concluded around 2am, a fire broke out in the kitchen and quickly spread throughout the sermon hall, due to the entire teakwood construction. The resident monks, who were asleep in the hall, had to jump to safety, resulting in injuries.

The case has now been transferred to the forensic police and Evidence Substantiation Unit 6 for a detailed investigation. As of this morning, the fire is still smouldering in some parts of the temple, requiring continuous dousing to prevent re-ignition.