Woman burns to death in car at Pattaya reservoir in suspected suicide

A tragic incident occurred near the Mabprachan Reservoir in Pattaya, where a woman lost her life after setting herself on fire inside a parked car. The police believe it was suicide. The incident took place yesterday evening, June 5, when residents alerted the Pattaya Police and Sawang Boriboon rescuers about a car engulfed in flames.

Upon arriving at the scene, police found a red Suzuki Celerio car with a woman lying in the driver’s seat, covered in a blanket and surrounded by intense flames. A burning bra was also found beside her. Despite the valiant efforts of firefighters and bystanders, the ferocity of the fire made it impossible to rescue the trapped woman. The fire was eventually extinguished using fire extinguishers, but the woman had already succumbed to the flames.

In an interview with The Pattaya News, a Thai firefighter, Siriwat Prachit, explained that the combination of the fire and leaking fuel from the vehicle made it extremely difficult to put out the flames and rescue the woman. A burning bra was discovered inside the car after the fire was extinguished.

An eyewitness, 28 year old Rittichai Malapad, who had called the emergency services, told The Pattaya News that he saw the woman covering herself with a blanket before setting it alight. He tried to help by using a fire extinguisher to suppress the flames, but the intense heat made it impossible to rescue her. Rittichai speculated that the woman might have doused herself in fuel, causing the fire to spread rapidly.

The dead woman’s body was taken to Banglamung Hospital for an autopsy. It has been reported that she was not the owner of the car but had borrowed it from a relative. The police are currently working to identify her.

If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai), or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.