Fire victims weep over remains of their homes
Many residents shed tears on Sunday morning as they checked out the wreckage of scores of fire-ravaged homes on Soi Somdet Phra Chao Taksin 23 in Bangkok.
Smoke was still billowing this morning as firefighters continued to inject water to stop the fire from reigniting.
It remains unclear what caused the fire that spread through a local community in this corner of Bangkok on Saturday.
“Witnesses said the fire began at house no. 345. At the time the fire started, no one was at home because the adults there had taken their children out to celebrate the National Children’s Day,” said Pol Captain Sopon Janklai, who is in charge of the case.
Danai Sanboon, 41, told police that he lived in the house near no. 345 and smelled the smoke. He initially urged neighbours to help extinguish the fire but it was too strong to handle. They decided to run away, taking what valuables they could grab.
The blaze burnt down more than 100 homes, mostly shophouses.
Thon Buri District Office, which oversees the area, has set up a shelter for the victims, where food, water and clothes are being handed out.