A major fire broke out at 8.42pm on Saturday night in the old Trok Pho community, almost hidden amidst the hustle and bustle of Bangkok’s Chinatown. Four houses were well ablaze by the time firefighters arrived.
At 9.15pm more fire trucks from 11 stations were dispatched to the scene, as the fire began to engulf more wooden houses in the community.
By 9.30pm there were reports of guests being trapped in the New Empire Hotel, adjacent to the Trok Pho community.
The fire raged for about one hour and firemen were working to get it under control. The creaking of weakening wooden houses was heard periodically, before they collapsed.
At 9.50pm, emergency officials reported that fire had spread to adjacent commercial buildings, behind Soi Mitsamphan, and called for more fire trucks to be sent.
At 10pm., a man and a woman were reported to be trapped on the sixth floor of a hotel, prompting firemen to use a crane to pluck them to safety. Five firemen were reported to have suffered from the effects of smoke inhalation and one received an electric shock. Victims of smoke inhalation were taken to the Thian Fah Foundation for first-aid treatment.
At 10.15pm, emergency services entered the 8-storey New Empire Hotel to search for anyone stuck inside. Any trapped guests were asked to turn the lights on in their rooms, to make them easier to locate, and to open their windows.
At 10.30pm, a first aid shelter was opened at Traimit Temple for victims of smoke inhalation. 28 people were treated.
At 10.30pm, the Thian Fah Foundation Hospital began an evacuation, as smoke from the fire had entered the hospital and the heat of the fire was increasingly apparent. Firefighters managed to contain the fire within the limits of the old community, even though a few nearby commercial buildings were burning. Five were reported to be damaged.
At 11.15pm, Suriyachai Raveewan, the chief of the city administration’s public disaster mitigation office, confirmed that the fire had been brought under control and officials would soon be able to enter and inspect the scene.
People living in the community are mostly elderly, who have been there for decades. There are also migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia who rent rooms.
According to the Samphanthawong district office, 66 wooden houses in Trok Pho community were burned down, affecting 245 people. A hotel and two restaurants were partially damaged by the fire.
Five people were injured, mostly by smoke inhalation, and one suffered an electric shock.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
