Delivery driver saves family from fire in northeast Thailand

Yesterday, netizens helped to reunite a restaurant owner with the Grab delivery driver who saved him and his family from a fire in the middle of the night earlier this month in Buriram province in northeast Thailand.

On January 16 at 3am, a raging communication cable fire broke out in front of the Chan Chao Thai curry restaurant in the Mueang district.

The owner of the restaurant, Zom Sarut, and his family were fast asleep upstairs.

A Grab delivery driver who happened to be travelling by saw the fire and banged on the door until Zom woke up.

Meanwhile, the Grab driver called for help and another good citizen brought a fire extinguisher to the scene, helping to control the fire until fire engines arrived.

Together, the two men saved Zom and his family and stopped Chan Choi restaurant from burning to the ground.

By the time Zom and his family had safely evacuated the building and were on the phone to rescue services, the delivery driver had disappeared.

Zom wanted to reward the Grab driver for saving him and his restaurant, so he posted the CCTV footage on Facebook and waited for netizens to work their magic.

Netizens put Zom in contact with the driver, 38 year old Amnat “Ooi” Phromphrakon, also from Buriram province.

Zom met up with Ooi yesterday and presented him with money and five lottery tickets to show his gratitude for his kind act. Ooi is welcome to eat at the restaurant for free, added Zom.

Ooi told reporters what happened…

“Normally, I work delivering food through the night. On the night of the incident, I was delivering food to a customer as normal when I noticed a communication cable fire. It was spreading quickly so I parked my bike and tried to help.

“No one was outside, so I banged on the door loudly. But the owner of the restaurant still wasn’t awake, so I called for help, which is when someone came over with a fire extinguisher.”

Ooi revealed that this isn’t the first time someone has needed his help during his night shift.

The delivery driver said he keeps rope, a knife and a flashlight in his motorbike at all times in case of an emergency.