Cooler catastrophe: Roi Et fridge explosion leaves 4 houses chilling in ruins

A refrigerator explosion in Roi Et left four houses significantly damaged, with a family narrowly escaping harm. The incident occurred early this morning, July 15, prompting police and rescue teams to investigate the cause.

Police in Roi Et received a report of a refrigerator explosion at a home in Dong Lan subdistrict, Mueang district. Upon arrival, they found a single-storey concrete house with extensive damage.

The force of the blast shattered windows and damaged the roofs and walls of the house and three neighbouring properties. Inside the main hall, the remnants of a purple refrigerator, charred and destroyed, were discovered.

The house’s occupants, a family of three, were inside at the time of the explosion. The homeowner, 39 year old Rungrawee explained that he and his wife were resting in one room while their son slept in another. Suddenly, they heard a loud explosion.

Rungrawee rushed to the main hall and saw flames engulfing the refrigerator. He attempted to douse the fire with water but had to evacuate the house as parts of it began to collapse, fearing for their safety.

The family had been living in the house for about three to four years. They had used an extension cord from his mother-in-law’s house at the front to power their appliances, including a hot water pot, rice cooker, and an electric pan.

Rungrawee urged the relevant government agencies to investigate the cause of the explosion thoroughly. He also hoped for some assistance, as the family had to move in with his mother-in-law and he had to halt his work delivering steel rolling doors, resulting in a loss of income for several days.

The police have yet to determine the precise cause of the explosion. Initial suspicions pointed to a gas tank malfunction, but upon inspection, it was found intact with no signs of leakage. There were no other flammable materials in the house. The investigation has been complicated by the extent of the damage, which affected four homes in total.

Police and forensic experts will revisit the site to conduct a more detailed examination to ascertain whether the refrigerator was indeed the source of the explosion. Preliminary findings suggest it was, given the extensive damage to the appliance, reported KhaoSod.