Thai woman seeks justice after lantern sets her car ablaze
A lantern released on New Year’s Day landed on a parked car at a house in the northern province of Phayao and set the vehicle ablaze. The car owner is now struggling to find those responsible for her loss.
A witness, Sophon Panyod, rushed to alert his neighbour, 35 year old Saowaluck Jainak, after spotting a fire on the roof of Saowaluck’s garage and her car at around 12.30am yesterday, December 2. Saowaluck immediately called rescuers and firefighters to contain the fire.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze within 20 minutes, but the white Suzuki hatchback was completely destroyed. Upon inspection, Saowaluck discovered a burnt lantern at the scene, which was suspected to be the cause of the incident.
Sophon told ThaiRath that he and his daughter were driving past Saowaluck’s home when they noticed that her garage roof, made of a shading net, was on fire. The flames quickly spread to Saowaluck’s car, prompting him to wake her and her husband.
Saowaluck later reported the incident to Chiang Kham Police Station. She issued a statement urging people to reconsider releasing lanterns, saying…
“Believe me, it is not true that floating lanterns help you let go of bad luck. I was just sleeping at home, doing nothing, and yet bad luck came knocking on my door.”
A member of the firefighting team, Sawawut Gatip, stated that it was fortunate the vehicle did not explode. If it had, Saowaluck’s home and nearby residences could have been destroyed, potentially resulting in fatalities.
Floating lanterns are a traditional practice often observed by Thais during New Year celebrations. However, they are now banned in many areas of the country due to the numerous fire-related incidents.
Despite this, many people ignore the risks and the regulations, releasing lanterns merely for the sake of capturing beautiful photographs.
In a related incident in Chiang Mai, a Thai police officer was nearly attacked by a Japanese tourist after intervening to stop the man from releasing a lantern in the city centre. The Japanese tourist was subsequently summoned to pay a fine and issued an apology to the officer.
