Fire guts seven houses

PATONG: Fire swept through seven wooden houses in Patong yesterday morning, causing damage estimated at 300,000 baht. No one was hurt. Firemen took 40 minutes to extinguish the fire in Soi Rong Bambat Namser, 50 metres from Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd. Pol Lt Serm Kwannimit, in charge of investigating the fire, told the Gazette that it started in a house occupied by a man named Suk, last name unknown, who was out when the fire started. Investigators have yet to identify the cause of the fire, though an electrical short circuit is thought to be the most likely culprit, Lt Serm said. “His coconut mattress and the junk around his house made good fuel,” he added.