Thai man arrested for arson at Pak Kret Police Station, Bangkok

Police arrested a Thai man for setting fire to Pak Kret Police Station in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok on July 16. The cause of the fire was initially thought to be a short circuit before CCTV footage revealed it as arson.

The fire broke out on the second floor of Pak Kret Police Station, which was used to store case files, at about 8pm on Tuesday, July 16. Officers managed to evacuate three detainees who were jailed on the first floor safely before firefighters successfully controlled the blaze within 30 minutes.

According to the police report, all of the case files and other important documents remained unharmed. However, the power outage forced police to transfer the three detainees to Rattanathibet Police Station. Officers initially suspected a short circuit as the cause of the fire.

After reviewing security camera footage on the day of the incident, officers found that the fire was not an accident but arson. The Thai man, later identified as 28 year old Patiwat, was seen setting fire to the police station.

In the footage, Patiwat parked his motorcycle at a coffee shop near the police station and walked onto the second floor of the building with a bottle of petrol in hand. He poured the petrol over the case file storage, set it alight, and left the scene on his motorcycle.

Patiwat then changed the registration plate of the motorcycle and his clothes before continuing his escape, toward the Mueang Thong neighbourhood in Nonthaburi province. Officers later arrested him yesterday, July 24, in Soi Nawamin 70 in the Bueng Kum district of Bangkok.

Police have not yet questioned the motive behind Patiwat’s action but believe that someone hired him to set fire to the police station to destroy some important documents there. The details of the motive will be reported after his questioning.

Police concluded that Patiwat was initially charged under Section 218 of the Criminal Law: setting fire to a building that is public property. The punishment is life imprisonment, imprisonment from five to 20 years, and the maximum punishment can be the death penalty.

ORIGINAL STORY: Suspected short circuit ignites fire at Pak Kret Police Station

A fire broke out at the Pak Kret Police Station, in Nonthaburi, yesterday prompting a swift response from local police, firefighters, and volunteers. The blaze was quickly contained, preventing major damage and resulting in no injuries.

Investigations reveal that the fire broke out in a two-storey old building behind the station, at 8.40pm yesterday, July 16. The ground floor housed detention cells and offices for the Deputy Superintendent of Prevention and Suppression, as well as administrative offices. The fire started on the second floor, originating from a pile of old documents in the hallway.

The affected area comprised three rooms used for case file storage. Initial inspections revealed broken glass windows and damaged doors but the case files themselves remained unharmed. The central room, used for storage, had shattered glass doors due to the intense heat, while the third administrative room remained unaffected.

Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze within 20 minutes. Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities were reported, thanks to the proximity of the fire station across the street and the quick response of police officers living in the nearby flats.

Superintendent of Pak Kret Police Station, Police Colonel Apisak Chotikasaetien, oversaw the investigation and ordered the building to be sealed off. Preliminary reports from investigators suggested that sparks from the ceiling ignited the pile of old documents, potentially due to an electrical short circuit.

During the incident, three detainees were on the ground floor and were safely evacuated without injury. They have been temporarily transferred to Rattanathibet Police Station, reported Daily News.

In related news, a devastating fire engulfed a two-storey wooden house divided into rental rooms in Bangkok, destroying 13 rooms. Investigators suspect an electrical short circuit as the cause and have temporarily relocated the affected residents to Wat Don temple for shelter.

The incident occurred at 12.20am today, July 12, when the Deputy Inspector at Yannawa Police Station, Phuriwat Jirakratathat, received a report of a fire at a residential house in Soi Chan 42, Charoen Krung Road, Yannawa district, Sathorn, Bangkok.