A blaze breaks out at a condominium building on Charoenkrung road, killing three

BANGKOK: -- A fire breaks out at a condominium building on Charoenkrung road early Tuesday morning, killing three.

The fire was at 31-storyed Si Phraya River View Condominium building in Sampantawong district and started at 4.45am.

Firefighters spent about 40 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Police found two bodies in the room where the fire possibly started. One more body was found near a pool on the sixth floor of the building.

-- The Nation 2008-06-10

Fire kills family in luxury condo

BANGKOK: -- A fire in a luxury condominium overlooking Chao Phraya River killed a Thai family of three early Tuesday, police said.

The fire, which broke out on the 24th floor of the Sriphaya River View Condominium at 5am, was put out within an hour by firefighters and the building's sprinkler system.

Somchai Maethatham, owner of the burned unit, jumped to his death from a window to the 7th floor, apparently trying to leap into the condominium's swimming pool, reports said.

Somchai's wife and son died in the blazing apartment. Police were investigating the cause of the fire.

-- dpa 2008-06-10

My condolences to family and friends of the victims. This is quite sad. I hope there is follow up as to what exactly caused the fire and where it started.

My mate lives underneath the condo where the family died, he says it was a massive fire and something exploded in the flat. A gas cylinder?

Thankfully, however tragic, only three died.

Edited June 10, 200818 yr by Governor

Just been for a drink with my mate who was understandably pretty shaken up.

He believes there was a gas cylinder in the flat which may have exploded.

He tells me that it is illegal to have a cylinder of gas in a condo, is that correct?

He tells me that it is illegal to have a cylinder of gas in a condo, is that correct?

Most condominium juristic person regulation does not allow use of LPG in residential units for cooking. Most new condos are equipped with electric stove only. But many prefer gas stove.

In Thailand, if you have money and/or social status, you can pretty much do what you like.

So if they indeed used a gas stow, against better knowledge, they brought it upon them selfs.

Most regulations have a reason. Only a good thing others wasn't hurt.

What I do not understand is that if you are living in a high rise building that you yourself do not have some plan of escape incase of an emerency. It could a simple as some sort of fireproof rope/cable permantly secured to the balcony so you can lower yourself to a lower foor or even the groundlevel. Put in few knotts so you something to hold on.

One reason why I spend more time at my homes that are on land rather than suspended in the air... if you cram several dozen to a hundred families in a 30/40+ story building, chances are you're going to get several idiots mixed in. And it only takes one idiot to start that catastrophic chain reaction.