Fire Breaks Out At Daidomon Mah Boonklong

[steppenfaerie]

Just some more info on the fire...tii rak works there and just saw lots of people rushing past his shop on the 3rd floor, he had no idea what was going on until his friend ran past and said that there had been a fire, and to get the hel_l out! As far as he knows he still has to go to work tomorrow though

I'm glad that it wasn't as bad as it could have been, hope they get more vigilant on the safety issue - if they can get in more guards, clear bins, and metal detectors in malls because of the bomb scares, it *shouldn't* be that much of a stretch to put in more adequate signage and implement a solid protocol for evacuation should something like this happen again.

[Bottlerocket]

If you don't like Thailand's fire safety procedures, I think it's time for you to leave.

[gregchambers]

Definitely have a crew of fire-fighters in MBK, seen them bouncing around in orange jump suits. Maybe they are like the security guards. Somchais on minimum pay who can barely find the energy to stand up straight? There seem to be three different teams of security guys from different companies so no coordination there I would guess.

MBK is definitely overwhelmed with huge numbers of punters even on week days, no real fun and I think I will stop using the cinemas on the top floor as it would not be fun to be caught in there when a fire broke out! I was there the day before the fire, BTW. Embassy and travel co's warnings to tourists would be the only way to get them to change.

I do miss the market atmosphere of closely packed stalls when in the UK... but obviously they would not get pass the fire regulations, so you can't have your cake and eat it. MBK did clear out some of the stalls for this very reason and they did install some external fire exits on the front so there obviously is some pressure from local government.

Illegal building is another problem here and I am quite amazed that some of the low end condo's haven't collapsed as some I looked at are actually missing support pillars, others with canterlevered floors already sagging and cracking external (non-supporting) walls. When one Soi 22 upmarket service apartment/condo/hotel was constructed they acttually faked the size of the support pillars by building around them with bricks! Not strictly relevant to fire safety but you can bet they cut corners on that, too.

TIT as they like to say.

[farang2002]

The MBK is a disaster waiting to happen. Uphere in Chiangmai we have a shooping mall called central kad suan keow where all the fire exits are chained and padlocked from the inside day and night. If a fire were to break out there is no escape door open. Unbelievable!

Ah...such is Thailand!!

[farang2002]

I was at MBK over songkran and the top floor where the restaurants are is so dark they probably didn't notice the smoke for a while. Was planning to go there tomorrow. It says closed for a day so will it be open?

I agree that it is a death trap though, exits and escalators are all over the place. Its a nightmare on a normal day. Must have been chaos there today.

Can you imagine taking in a movie there when a fire erupts? You'ld have no chance to escape...

[Greenside]

Can you imagine taking in a movie there when a fire erupts? You'd have no chance to escape...

Actually I was taking in a movie there exactly 24 hours earlier and the thought of trying to get out is very scary since even finding your way in is quite confusing.

I have a reasonable degree of awareness about emergency exits and the like and had noted the car park doors mentioned above during past visits but, let's face it, living in a developing country carries increased risks in almost every aspect of life and about the best you can do as a lay person is to minimise them for yourself and those whom you have some influence over i.e. friends and family. Simply showing your Thai friends that you take these things seriously - wear a crash helmet on your motorbike, insist the fire exit (at the very least the one that serves your apartment) is accessible, wait while they jump the red lights, don't buy food from the stall where the guy doesn't wash his hands etc. I even got some flack from a westerner I was traveling in China with recently when I opted to wait an extra hour for a bus to avoid boarding the one with a huge bulge on its treadless front tyre so you may get a reputation for being a bit of a pussy but by leading by example you may at least give others pause for thought.

Edited April 22, 2007 by Greenside

[BigSnake]

Just went in for awhile to escape the heatwave/window shop/enjoy the cool aircon, next thing I knew were herded out like cattle bad moment!!

[dttk0009]

Eek! It's good to hear that firefighters were on the scene quick enough to extinguish the fire before it got out of control. I was quite sad when the Mall Ngamongwan burned down as that's where I spent a lot of the weekends with my friends as a teenager.

[julie_f]

I went in there earlier, only up to 3rd floor (i think). Could smell smoke a bit in places but as busy as ever. Doesn't look like anyone has been put off.

[dingue2rep]

So many of you who are lucky enough to actually live in Thailand can become rather annoying with your constant Thai bashing! Sometimes it's a matter of human error and not Thai error.

Please recall the following events that did not take in Thailand, but all in USA:

Factory in North Carolina with security doors locked (from the outside!) trapped many inside during a fire. Many killed.

Nightclub in Rhode Island ~ band pyrotechnics set the ceiling on fire; inadequate adherence to fire code restrictions ~ many people died in this fire.

Also a club in Chicago at around the same time.

There are many others. No need to list all.

Anyway, you probably have gotten the point by now.

This isn't meant to absolve anyone from their responsibility to be aware of fire safety.

Thai bashing gives these lucky people a sense of superiority, that's why they don't leave if things are not to their liking. Life is a little harder if you are an insignificant nobody, in a country that enforces the regulations to the letter. In fact many have forgotten why the came to live here in the first place. The easy life...

[sunshine13]

you guys are child-minded. do you think the entire building is going to catch fire at the sametime? that is ridiculous.

[sunshine13]

if you want to escape mbk death trap, there is parking on every floor up to 6. if you are on the seventh floor, i imagine you will be able to take one of the many exits to the 6th floor, unless aliens decide to attack or terrorists crash siz planes into MBK... get a life you fear mongering trolls.

[popshirt]

if you want to escape mbk death trap, there is parking on every floor up to 6. if you are on the seventh floor, i imagine you will be able to take one of the many exits to the 6th floor, unless aliens decide to attack or terrorists crash siz planes into MBK... get a life you fear mongering trolls.

Exactly what I had been thinking since the first post.

I shop there almost every week, it is one of my favourite places in all of Bangkok although when I was new to the city I found it noisy, confusing and frustrating. Now I just plunge in and enjoy!

[Scott]

Some years back, I was in MBK when the fire alarm went off. I, with a friend, headed for the car park. My friend decided we shouldn't go out that way because "everyone was going through the other doors." I nixed that idea--not interested in getting caught in that huge crush!

It was a very, very small electrical fire and people were allowed back in, in about 5-10 min. I did note that the overpass (now to the where the skytrain is) was actually bowed with so many people standing on it! That was scary.

Then about 10 minutes later the fire alarm went off again. And we had to evacuate again. I've been back there only a few times since then.

I try to stay away from places where the pathways are blocked by lots of stalls--it has less to do with fire concerns for me and more to do with the stress of trying to negotiate them.

[kpbrady]

no health and safety in thailand.....

[Heng]

I thought this place was supposed to be empty because of the recession?

[MaiChai]

An observation: there is danger everywhere (I mean outside Thailand too). Living in Thailand and Bangkok for a long time has taught me to be much more aware of what is happening around me, and thus to be much more aware of my personal safety. I think this has given me greater safety everywhere I have travelled and am still around without injury to make this post! Compare this to a European who arrives here fresh off the plane and instantly falls down a hole in the pavement, ends up in hospital and then looks for someone to blame/sue I mean you have to look after yourself rather than expect others to do so.

I liked the post about the bus with the bulging tyre; think I would have done the same thing and wait for the next bus!

[jennybriggs]

DETAINED IN MBK FIRE

During the fire in MBK my wife and I were having a massage on the 6th floor. We heard a lot of commotion going on, but couln't see anything because we were behind curtains. Our Thai masseuses kept leaving and coming back to work on us, but said nothing about the fire. Later, the Thi laddies said "GO QUICKLY - FIRE, FIRE". When we came out from the curtained room we immediately noticed all the shop stalls had been covered with tarps and staff gone, apart from a few Thai people franticly making an exit. Smoke haze filled the air, my wife and I were trembing with fear as we negotiated our exit. Prior to this we had just watched a documentary in our hotel room about people being trapped in buildings during a fire. These images were in our minds as we searched for an exit. We eventually found our way out via the car park. We feel sorry for the store owners who have to go back.

[Eastender]

I was on the ground floor when I noticed approx. 1 in 3 of the shops grabbing their stock and closing up very quickly. There was no alarm and not all the shops knew what was happeing. When my Thai wife asked one of the shop keepers she just replied 'bomb' so we got out quick. Even while walking out people were still browsing some of the open shops. Once outside I saw the smoke coming from the upper floors but still never heard an alarm.

I never did get all the tacky souvenires for my friends.