A FIRE raged through the upper floors of a 27-storey condominium in Phetchaburi Soi 15 soon after midnight with one woman being killed as residents fled in panic, TV Channel 7 said this morning (Nov. 11).
At 12.27 a.m. Pol. Capt. Siripong Pengmanee, a deputy inspector at Phaya Thai police station, was informed of a fire breaking out at this condominium in Soi 15 off Phetchaburi road and quickly alerted Phayathai Fire and Rescue Station which immediately sent 30 fire engines to put it out.
The blaze had started on the 19th floor then spread to the 20th and 21st floors damaging them. Most of the residents fled down the condo via the fire escape but some went up to the rooftop.
Firemen had to walk up to fight the fire using hose installed on these floors to do so. It took them half an hour to put it out but after that they had to clear the air and continued spraying a while longer to prevent it from reigniting.
Investigation revealed that the unit that caught fire belonged to Mr. Kitti (surname withheld), 74, whose business was selling mango and sticky rice dessert. He used the unit to store mangoes and ripened the fruit with gas while sleeping in his vehicle at the eighth floor car park.
Previously in February this year, this unit also caught fire with a faulty air-conditioner compressor triggering a short circuit.
Pol. Col. Chayut Phongsak, Phaya Thai police station’s superintendent, said around 20 people suffered mildly from smoke inhalation but one woman, around 65-70 years old, became unconscious and died on the way to Rajavithi Hospital.
A forensic team will investigate whether this fire was caused by using gas to ripen mangoes.
CAPTION:
Scenes from the fire at the high-rise condo in Phetchaburi Soi 15 that started soon after midnight. Photos: TV Channel 7
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