Fire tailors two shops

KATA BEACH, PHUKET: A fire broke out in two tailor shops opposite Mom Tri’s Boathouse at about 1 am on September 24. A rapid response from the Tambon Karon Fire Department, however, ensured that the blaze was put out before it could spread to the resort complex and other nearby businesses.

The tailor shops, Phuket Boston Tailor and Royal Thai Tailor, were gutted by the blaze, with flames reaching over eight meters high.

Theerapong Karndee, Duty Chief of the Karon Fire Department, told the Gazette that two of his department’s firefighting vehicles responded to the call, receiving assistance from a third fire tender dispatched from the Rawai Department.

They were able to put out the blaze in about a half hour, he said.

Many of the tailor shops in the area use 3-phase electricity, which created an additional hazard for the firefighters, who put out the blaze without any injuries, he added.

K. Theerapong refused to estimate the damage to the shops, but a local Thai-language newspaper put the figure at around 1 million baht.

Lies Sol, Public Relations Manager of the five-star Boathouse, said that the resort’s General Manager Louis Bronner was awoken in his fourth-floor, air-conditioned room by the heat of the blaze, flames from which were leaping above his window.

All resort guests were evacuated safety. At around 2:30 am guests were allowed to return to their rooms.