Firemen injured battling blaze in Asoke high-rise
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Fire broke out at an office building on Asoke Road yesterday, slightly injuring a fireman while another choked due to the smoke.
Fire-fighters took three hours to control the blaze that began on the seventh floor and spread all the way to the 13th floor.
Due to the narrow traffic lanes, it was difficult for the fire-fighters to bring the flames under control so they had to wait for fire-engines with high ladders to enable them to spray water directly at the blaze.
A group of fire-fighters could not enter the building because the key-card system doors stopped working after electricity was cut off. It took time for them to get permission from the owner to break the glass doors and get into the building.
Due to the delays in tackling the fire, the blaze spread to higher floors.
Police said the fire could have been occurred at the product store of two companies on the seventh floor but the warning system and fire-extinguishing system did not work immediately.
Forensic police and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials, and engineers from Engineering Institute of Thailand will inspect the building later to discover the cause of fire.
Although Vadhana district chief Sajja Khontrong said the building had a sprinkler system, Deputy Bangkok governor Theerachon Manomaiphibool said it did not have sprinklers to extinguish the fire.
Theerachon said the building was granted permission in 1979 and the construction law at that time did not make it mandatory for buildings to be equipped with sprinklers.
BMA would let its officials inspect the building after the forensic team and engineers have finished their inspections before deciding whether to allow the building to reopen, he added.
