Bang Khae shopping mall badly damaged by fire
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A six-storey shopping mall in Bang Khae in Bangkok was engulfed in flames late on Friday night, causing damage estimated at Bt3 million. No one was injured in the blaze.
Bang Khae District Office yesterday declared the IT Grand shopping mall a danger zone, prohibiting people from entering as the building remained very hot, while the large amount of water used to control fire also posed a hazard, according to Phitsanu Charoennukul, assistant to the director of the district office.
The fire broke out on the sixth floor at about 10pm and quickly spread to the fifth and fourth floors. Materials stored in an underwear-manufacturing facility on the sixth floor caused the fire to spread quickly, officials said. The fire was brought under control at 11.50pm.
Lak Song Police attended the blaze. Crews using some 30 fire engines took nearly two hours to control the fire, police said. Some firemen had difficulty reaching the building because it is situated in a small alley. Reports said the cumulative heat caused the fire to re-ignite on the fifth floor, but fire-fighters were able to bring it under control again.
The lower storeys of the IT Grand mall housed shops selling computers, gadgets and other information-technology products, while the upper levels were used as a clothing factory.
A panel of engineers and relevant officials was set up to assess the building’s structural condition, Phitsanu said. Police and forensic investigators were trying to determine the cause of the fire.
Police said that after inspecting the building, officials from Bang Khae District Office would announce when the mall would be allowed to reopen.
Bang Khae Police Station has set up a temporary service centre where people affected by the fire can file complaints.
