Pattaya flat gutted after rice cooker triggers fire
Residents flee as emergency crews battle flames in city apartment
A fire broke out in a Pattaya apartment late at night, forcing residents to evacuate as emergency crews rushed to contain the blaze and prevent further damage.
Emergency services rushed to the scene just before midnight on Tuesday, September 9, after flames were seen pouring from a room inside a three-storey apartment block in Soi Pattaya Tai, next to the Ban Chiang grilled pork restaurant.
The fire, reported at 11.36pm, is believed to have started in Room C3 on the top floor, where thick smoke quickly filled the corridor, triggering a swift evacuation.
Firefighters from Pattaya City’s Disaster Relief Centre arrived alongside local police, who helped secure the scene and guide panicked residents to safety. Fire crews battled the flames for around 20 minutes, eventually bringing the fire under control before it could spread to neighbouring units.
Inside the scorched room, nothing was left intact, with investigators pointing to a rice cooker as the suspected cause of the blaze.
According to Nirut Nakchum, a 56 year old motorcycle taxi driver who lived in the unit with his son, the cooker had been left plugged in as usual to keep food warm. Speaking to local media, he said he was out working when a neighbour called to tell him his room was on fire.
“I always leave the rice cooker on to keep the food warm. I never thought something like this could happen.”
He returned home to find all of his belongings reduced to ashes, with only the charred frame of the cooker left behind.
Firefighters conducted a thorough inspection of the building to rule out any risk of reignition. No one was injured, and residents praised emergency crews for their swift response.
Police have launched a formal investigation to determine the exact cause of the blaze, but believe an electrical short circuit from the rice cooker is the most likely explanation, reported The Pattaya News.
While no official damage estimate has been released, the room is considered a total loss.
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