Fire Destroys Three Vehicles in University Parking Lot, Suspected Cause is Battery Problem

[Georgealbert]

 

 

 

A fire broke out early morning of October 10, at a prominent university in the Thanyaburi area, destroying two minibuses and a van parked in the campus garage. The blaze, which was reported at 06:00 quickly engulfed all three vehicles. The fire is suspected to have been caused by a faulty battery in one of the minibuses, an issue that had been reported several times without action.

 

Pol. Lt. Pornchet Prommune, an investigator from Pratunam Chulalongkorn Police Station, responded to the incident along with three fire trucks from Rangsit Municipality. Firefighters worked for 40 minutes to extinguish the flames, which had already destroyed the vehicles by the time they arrived. The vehicles, two minibuses and one van, were parked closely together in the campus parking lot.

 

A 57-year-old security guard who was on duty described hearing a loud explosion from the middle minibus and noticing no fire, Initially thought nothing of it and returned to his post. Another security guard then ran over to inform him of the fire, prompting both guards to rush to the scene. The guard noted that the middle minibus had been left with the battery charging overnight, a practice that had been a source of concern due to a deteriorating battery. Despite multiple reports about the battery’s condition, no action had been taken to replace it.

 

A nearby resident, identified as Mr. Mongkol, corroborated the guard’s account, stating that the middle vehicle was frequently left to charge for extended periods. Mongkol, who was in his room at the time, was alerted by the sound of the fire and rushed outside to see the vehicles already ablaze. He mentioned that five vehicles were parked in the lot, but only two could be moved in time. The remaining three vehicles, including the minibus with the faulty battery, were completely destroyed.

 

Pol. Lt. Pornchet has begun an investigation, documenting the scene and collecting evidence. The forensic team is expected to conduct a detailed examination to determine the exact cause of the fire.

 

The incident has raised concerns about the university’s response to safety warnings and the potential risks posed by faulty equipment left unchecked. Further investigations will seek to clarify the cause of the fire and whether negligence played a role in the incident.

 

-- 2024-10-10

 

 

 

 

[300sd]

Is that called "shedding!" I don't want to park beside them.

[JoePai]

hearing a loud explosion from the middle minibus and noticing no fire, Initially thought nothing of it and returned to his post.

 

Don't blame him, he was enjoying a nice sleep at the time

[edwinchester]

"A 57-year-old security guard who was on duty described hearing a loud explosion from the middle minibus and noticing no fire, Initially thought nothing of it and returned to his post."

 

Absolutely qualified to be a Thai security guard.

[mran66]

Cash flow crisis is due to govt freeze of school tours, need insurance money to cover... 

[MikeandDow]

34 minutes ago, mran66 said:

Cash flow crisis is due to govt freeze of school tours, need insurance money to cover... 

Why post assumptions !!! You do not know About Insurance money !!

[MikeandDow]

This is going to be the Next big thing, plenty of EV are catching fire because of Li-ion batterys

[Gottfrid]

At least there was no children in the bus this time.

[anterian]

Whilst an insurance scam is possible, can one assume they were actually insured, many Thai vehicles are not. 

[richard_smith237]

17 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

This is going to be the Next big thing, plenty of EV are catching fire because of Li-ion batterys

 

This wasn't an EV...  It was an ICE (likely diesel) bus, that had a conventional (12 v or 24v) bus battery (the same as the battery on any conventional ICE car. 

 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The fire is suspected to have been caused by a faulty battery in one of the minibuses, an issue that had been reported several times without action.

No need to worry anymore.

[mran66]

35 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

Why post assumptions !!! You do not know About Insurance money !!

 

Speculations, not assumptions.

 

Just like most of the comments about alleged brown envelopes, maybe they actually don't exist here, people just speculating... 

[MikeandDow]

13 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

This wasn't an EV...  It was an ICE (likely diesel) bus, that had a conventional (12 v or 24v) bus battery (the same as the battery on any conventional ICE car. 

 

Yep my mistake

[MikeandDow]

10 minutes ago, mran66 said:

 

Speculations, not assumptions.

 

Just like most of the comments about alleged brown envelopes, maybe they actually don't exist here, people just speculating... 

"Speculation" is more considering several theories or possibilities without having made an absolute decision, whereas "assumption" is more definite and usually based on guesses and information you don't really know enough about to make a informed decision. When we speculate we generally consider. When we assume, we make decisions about what we think happened, or what we think we know. For that reason, assumptions can be quite negative in nature, whereas speculation is more thoughtful.

Any how the point is YOU do not know  Cash flow Problems, need insurance money

[Georgealbert]

Some video of the fire.

 

[MikeandDow]

6 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

Some video of the fire.

 

yes very intense Fire  !!!  these are old busses not fitted with fire retention seats Plus all the window crap they have in there

[pub2022]

Well known problem for electric cars.

[MikeandDow]

4 minutes ago, pub2022 said:

Well known problem for electric cars.

 As it already been pointed out correctly it was NOT a  EV

[steven100]

oh dear Georgealbert,  this is very bad news for the school.  They were concerned about the battery charging overnight previously but no one took the initiative to stop doing it. 

 

Now they have 3 less crucial transport buses for the school children ....  

 

very bad news Georgealbert ... 

[MikeandDow]

3 minutes ago, steven100 said:

oh dear Georgealbert,  this is very bad news for the school.  They were concerned about the battery charging overnight previously but no one took the initiative to stop doing it. 

 

Now they have 3 less crucial transport buses for the school children ....  

 

very bad news Georgealbert ... 

 And you have hit the head of the nail   "but no one took the initiative to stop doing it. "

 No risk management by the school  Identified the Hazard but no action

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, MikeandDow said:

This is going to be the Next big thing, plenty of EV are catching fire because of Li-ion batterys

are they EVs?

[MikeandDow]

1 minute ago, kwilco said:

are they EVs?

read the posts

[Classic Ray]

Charging failing batteries can produce quantities of flammable hydrogen gas. 
 

one spark and Goodnight Vienna!

[richard_smith237]

44 minutes ago, pub2022 said:

Well known problem for electric cars.

 

Think again and perhaps do some research before posting - were you ever told as a kid, "brain into gear, mouth into neutral" - the same can be applied here... 

 

 

The information you are missing:

 

Per 100,000 vehicles, internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles are more likely to have a fire compared to electric vehicles (EVs). According to recent data and studies:

 

> ICE vehicles report around 1,529 fires per 100,000 vehicles.

> EVs have significantly fewer fires, with approximately 25 fires per 100,000 vehicles.

 

This suggests that ICE vehicles are over 60 times more likely to catch fire compared to EVs. One of the reasons for this discrepancy is that ICE vehicles carry flammable liquids such as gasoline and diesel, which inherently increase the risk of fire, especially after accidents or mechanical failures. In contrast, EV fires, though less frequent, often attract more attention due to the novelty of battery fires and the different challenges in extinguishing them.

 

 

There - you can now consider yourself (semi)educated on this matter before forcing your bias. 

Edited October 10 by richard_smith237

[proton]

2 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

This is going to be the Next big thing, plenty of EV are catching fire because of Li-ion batterys

 

Made in China, no thanks 

[Snackbar]

Short cut culture cost lives evidently 

[kwilco]

31 minutes ago, kwilco said:

are they EVs?

Can't bring yourself to type "no"?

[kwilco]

THe lesson form this and previous bus fires, is how easily they catch fire - this is the result of lack of government monitoring of the build quality of buses in general.

[MikeandDow]

4 minutes ago, kwilco said:

THe lesson form this and previous bus fires, is how easily they catch fire - this is the result of lack of government monitoring of the build quality of buses in general.

Thailand's gradual introduction over the past 15 years of regulations for bus safety laid out by the UNECE, the UN Economic Commission for Europe, a body responsible for establishing international standards in many areas. But application of these rules have been slow and piecemeal.

“The problem is most of the manufacturers in Thailand cannot reach that standard,” says Sumet Ongkittikul, a transport specialist at the Thailand Development Research Institute. “So the implementation has been delayed, to allow them to catch up.

“Also, the regulations only apply to new buses. But most of the buses operating in Thailand are old."

Modifying old bus chassis with new bodywork is a local industry, where safety standards are for the most part far behind those in many other countries.

UNECE regulation UN R118, which requires bus interiors to be made with non-flammable materials, was officially introduced in Thailand in 2022, but does not apply to buses made before then, or buses adapted using older chassis.

[dinsdale]

2 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

Why post assumptions !!! You do not know About Insurance money !!

 

2 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

This is going to be the Next big thing, plenty of EV are catching fire because of Li-ion batterys

I guess you can post assumptions though i.e. EV battery fire.