Fire Thai Man’s Daring ‘Spider-Man’ Wakes South African Teacher in Apartment Fire

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

 

A South African teacher was woken by quick-thinking Thai neighbour who performed a daring balcony-to-balcony climb to rouse him from sleep as flames were spotted on his third-floor flat in Chachoengsao province.

 

The fire broke out on the evening of 26 June, at a commercial building offering rented rooms in Soi Na Mueang, Na Mueang Sub-district. Police from Mueang Chachoengsao Station were alerted at around 21:30 with fire engines and rescue teams from the Chachoengsao Rescue Unit rushing to the scene.

 

Upon arrival, firefighters were confronted with flames coming from a third-floor balcony. While they prepared to enter the building, a resident from a neighbouring room attempted to alert the sleeping occupant of the unit, a 43-year-old South African national identified only as Mr Budhoo, who teaches English locally.

 

When repeated knocks and calls went unanswered, the neighbour made a split-second decision to scale across the outside balconies of the building, in a move reminiscent of Spider-Man, to reach the teacher’s unit. Clinging to the rails, the man banged on the door until Mr Budhoo awoke, startled to find the fire spreading on the balcony.

 

Realising the danger, the teacher quickly grabbed water to try to douse the flames while firefighters moved in to fully extinguish the blaze. Emergency responders then inspected the area and identified the likely cause as a power bank explosion.

 

According to Nattharit Nunpradech, a volunteer with the Chachoengsao Rescue Unit who documented the incident, the fire began when a faulty power bank discarded in a rubbish bin, along with flammable materials such as paper, which swelled and exploded, likely after being left in direct sunlight for several days. Melted plastic fragments were later found at the scene, further supporting the hypothesis.

 

Mr Budhoo expressed his deep gratitude to his neighbour for the intervention. He explained that he had thrown the damaged power bank into the bin without realising it might pose a fire risk.

 

Authorities have issued a warning to the public regarding the disposal of damaged or expired electronic devices, particularly lithium-ion batteries, which can overheat and explode if left in heat or sunlight.

 

No injuries were reported, and thanks to the fast action of both firefighters and the neighbour, the fire was contained before it could spread to other parts of the building.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-06-28