Gas explosion rips through restaurant

Police and 10 fire engines answering an emergency call arrived at 12pm at the Bangkok Grill, in Soi Rang Nam, to find the restaurant on fire, its glass frontage shattered by the explosion and the kitchen gutted. Four men, two women and a small child were rushed to Rajvithi Hospital.
A Cambodian cook identified only as Tomy, 30, told police the kitchen crew had panicked after a 15kg cooking gas canister they were changing sprang a leak while ovens were operating. The owner of a noodle shop next door said the explosion had also damaged his shop.
In related news, fire destroyed 15 houses in Bangkok’s Wat Yuan community yesterday, leaving five people suffering smoke inhalation and burns.
Responding to the emergency call, 20 fire engines rushed to the scene on Luk Luang Road and were able to bring the blaze under control in about an hour. Initial investigation identified a wooden house belonging to Suchart Thungpan as the probable source, though some witnesses said they heard an explosion from a house owned by a woman known only as Taew in the community before the fire broke out.
Police have put the cause of the fire down to an electrical short, while authorities are surveying the damage.