Borrowed money turns to ashes: Thai man loses 100,000 baht in van fire (video)

[webfact]

 

A Thai man’s fortunes went up in smoke when he borrowed 100,000 baht from a bank to settle an informal debt, only to lose the entire sum in a van fire accident in the central province of Prachin Buri.

 

Firefighters from Prahantakam District Office in Prachin Buri rushed to extinguish the fire that broke out in the van owned by 34 year old Chumnum. Officers managed to stamp out the fire within 10 minutes, but the van and Chumnum’s belongings were completely damaged.

 

Fortunately, Chumnum managed to escape from the van unharmed. However, despite his physical safety, he appeared visibly distressed. He sat anxiously on the roadside near the accident site, awaiting the arrival of the authorities.

In an interview with Channel 7, Chumnum disclosed that he lost 100,000 baht in cash in the incident. He and his mother had borrowed money from the bank to settle the family’s informal debts, and he had stored the cash in the van in preparation for repayment.

While driving, he detected a burning odour and decided to pull over to inspect his van. After getting out and inspecting the vehicle for a few minutes, a fire suddenly erupted.

 

His mobile phone and the cash were in the van but he was unable to retrieve them. He stood and stared at the fire in confusion and shock.

 

Chumnum said he still could not think of a solution to the problem. He told a reporter that he would sit there until his relatives arrived at the scene.

 

There was no report on the cause of the fire but several news outlets speculated that it was an engine malfunction combined with the hot weather in the afternoon.

 

A similar incident of a motorist losing money on the rode was reported in October of 2022. In this case, several drivers noticed 1,000-baht bills scattered on a road in the Isaan province of Khon Kaen but could not identify the source.

 

Each driver decided to stop and collect the notes, not for themselves but to return them to their rightful owner.

 

Nearly 100,000 baht was returned to its owner, a Thai woman. The woman said her employer forgot her cash on the step of his vehicle’s door and drove off causing the bills to scatter around.

 

 

by Petch Petpailin

Photo via Facebook/ มานิตย์ มกรกุณฑล

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-03-16

 

- Discover how Cigna Insurance can protect you with a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment. For more information on expat health insurance click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe
 

[JoePai]

Boy does <deleted> happen !

[hotchilli]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

A Thai man’s fortunes went up in smoke when he borrowed 100,000 baht from a bank to settle an informal debt, only to lose the entire sum in a van fire accident in the central province of Prachin Buri.

Dang it.....

[Gecko123]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

He and his mother had borrowed money from the bank to settle the family’s informal debts

 

Plenty of reason to be suspicious. Should be pretty easy to determine whether accelerants were involved. Article says mother and son borrowed the money from the bank, but who exactly incurred the debt is what I'd like to know. Isolated road, no witnesses, van is engulfed in flames while he's outside of vehicle. Would also be interested to know if van had physical damage coverage on it. Not saying it didn't happen the way the son reported it, but plenty of reason to be suspicious.

[Georgealbert]

6 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

 

Plenty of reason to be suspicious. Should be pretty easy to determine whether accelerants were involved. Article says mother and son borrowed the money from the bank, but who exactly incurred the debt is what I'd like to know. Isolated road, no witnesses, van is engulfed in flames while he's outside of vehicle. Would also be interested to know if van had physical damage coverage on it. Not saying it didn't happen the way the son reported it, but plenty of reason to be suspicious.

5555 yes sounds very suspicious and a little too convenient, how long would it take to pick up the cash and get out?

 

The only way to prove his story is not true, is if he is caught on a spending spree in the near future.

 

Also not an EV, 55555

 

 

[Gecko123]

6 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

The only way to prove his story is not true, is if he is caught on a spending spree in the near future.

 

Forensics should be able to determine where the fire originated and if any accelerants were used to start/speed up the spread of the fire.

 

Edited March 16 by Gecko123

[PETERTHEEATER]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Each driver decided to stop and collect the notes, not for themselves but to return them to their rightful owner.

🤣

[PETERTHEEATER]

Great minds think alike. If I saw a blazing vehicle my first action would be to try and stamp out the fire......😂

[Georgealbert]

19 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

 

Forensics should be able to tell where the fire originated and whether any accelerants were used to start/speed up the spread of the fire as well.

That would depend if forensics were even called, which I doubt. 

 

The origin of fires should be easy to determine, either the engine compartment or the occupant compartment.

 

If the fire started in the engine compartment, there will be burn patterns under the bonnet.

 

The burn patterns/markings on the windscreen or its remains, will also be a good indicator of where the fire started and how it spreed.

 

If an accelerant was poured inside the van, then the burn pattern and residue of it, will be clearly identifiable and show it as a deliberate fire.
 

Accelerant poured over a hot engine, is not so easy to identify, but as it is far more dangerous, the driver should be checked for flash burns, to back of hands or singed hair/eyebrows, and details noted as to if the bonnet was open and who opened it.

 

My guess is that there is a 20 baht police report, saying the van burnt out on such a date, and not much else.

 

 

 

 

[Gecko123]

13 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

That would depend if forensics were even called, which I doubt. 

 

The origin of fires should be easy to determine, either the engine compartment or the occupant compartment.

 

If the fire started in the engine compartment, there will be burn patterns under the bonnet.

 

The burn patterns/markings on the windscreen or its remains, will also be a good indicator of where the fire started and how it spreed.

 

If an accelerant was poured inside the van, then the burn pattern and residue of it, will be clearly identifiable and show it as a deliberate fire.
 

Accelerant poured over a hot engine, is not so easy to identify, but as it is far more dangerous, the driver should be checked for flash burns, to back of hands or singed hair/eyebrows, and details noted as to if the bonnet was open and who opened it.

 

My guess is that there is a 20 baht police report, saying the van burnt out on such a date, and not much else.

 

 

 

 

Well if the first loan and the bank loan were secured by the same property, someone's going to be left holding the bag, and both lenders would certainly be interested in whether the money really went up in flames or not.

[Georgealbert]

14 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

Well if the first loan and the bank loan were secured by the same property, someone's going to be left holding the bag, and both lenders would certainly be interested in whether the money really went up in flames or not.

Agree.

 

If the money was in a tight bundle, as issued by a bank, you would expect to find some evidence of it, in the burnt out van. I am still suspicious enough to consider, that it was hidden somewhere and then the van burnt

[cardinalblue]

It doesn’t matter if the money burned or not ….he owes the bank 100k and also the so called informal debt bandit a 100k

 

better start a go fund me account 

[digger70]

11 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

 

Forensics should be able to determine where the fire originated and if any accelerants were used to start/speed up the spread of the fire.

 

Mmm ,You think they are smart enough here to manage that ?😇