Berserk Irish man sets fire to condo in Pattaya

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IN A fit of jealous rage an Irish man torched his own condominium in Pattaya in the dead of the night locking his girlfriend and child within with the building’s fire alarm also not sounding but fortunately all three were safely rescued and no one else got injured, Amarin TV said this morning (April 21).

At 3.19 a.m. Pattaya City police station were alerted of a deranged man setting fire to a condo unit located in the heart of this seaside city and quickly dispatched four fire trucks while rushing there with rescuers from Sawang Boriboon Dhammasathan Foundation.

Upon arrival at the scene, an eight-storey condominium building, they found that the fire had started on the fourth floor which was filled with thick black smoke. Ventilators had to be used for 20 minutes to reduce the smoke before firefighters were able to go in and rescue three people, Mr. Carl Ruben Miller, 50, an Irish national (the perpetrator); Ms. Kewalin (surname withheld), 27, his girlfriend; and a young boy approximately seven to eight years old.

All three suffered from smoke inhalation and were blackened by soot. They received first aid and were immediately transported to Pattaya Bhattamakun Hospital.

Ms. Thanyarat, 48, the condo manager, said the perpetrator’s girlfriend had called to report and the Irish man was carrying a knife and behaving threateningly. She later called again to report that he had set fire to the unit and locked all three of them inside.

The Irish man had rented this unit on a yearly basis and frequently argued with his girlfriend, with this believed to have stemmed from suspicion and jealousy.

There was panic in the building because the blaze erupted in the dead of the night when the residents were asleep with the fire alarm not sounding despite the system having been installed on every floor. Fortunately, firefighters were able to put out the blaze quickly before it spread to adjoining condos with the unit where it broke out being destroyed.

Police are waiting for the couple to be released from hospital before questioning them while carrying out a detailed investigation to file charges according to the law.

They have also summoned the condo manager to question her about the fire alarm system not working as this raises serious questions about the building’s safety and if the fire had spread could have resulted in mass tragedy in the tourist city.

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Firefighters putting out the blaze at a condo unit in central Pattaya last night. All photos – Amarin TV