It's Official - No Place Is Safe!

[tigerboy]

From: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/01/04...al_30092416.php

Fire breaks out at shopping/residential plaza building By The Nation

A fire broke out at a shopping and residential plaza building in Bangkok Sunday night. No casualties were reported.

The fire broke out at the Sua Pa Plaza in Pomprab district at 8:30 pm.

The blaze broke out from the first floor and quickly spread to other floors, causing panic among many residents inside the building. Many of them rushed to the rooftop, waiting for help.

By 9:15 pm, fire fighters managed to control the blaze and rescue 15 people from the building.

About 20 other residents were still trapped inside the second and third floor. Authorities were trying to rescue them by using helicopters. They were being directed to the rooftop.

The building's 4th-6th floor are residential area of 50 rooms to each floor while the 7th to 9th floors provided sauna service.

By 11 pm, some 30 people were believed to be still trapped inside.

That's 3 in 4 days now.

37 injured in massive fire at shopping, residential building

By The Nation

At least 37 people were injure when a massive fire swept through a shopping and residential building Sunday night.

Rescuers took hours to rescue some 50 people from the Sua Pa Plaza building in Pomprab district.

It could not be confirmed whether people were trapped and killed by the fire as fire fighters had yet to check all floors of the nine-floor building.

The fire broke out at the building first floor at 8:30 pm and quickly spread to other floors, causing panic among shoppers and residents of the building. Many of them rushed to the rooftop to wait for help.

The building's 4th-6th floor are residential area of 50 rooms to each floor while the 7th to 9th floors provided sauna service.

About 60 fire engines were deployed to fight the blaze, causing traffic congestion on the Sua Pa road.

By 9:15 pm, fire fighters managed to control the blaze but could not put it out completely.

Initially, 19 people were rescued from the rooftop using a crane of a fire engine.

Fire fighters also went inside the building and rescued some 10 other people from the first to fourth floors.

Later on, 30 more people fled to the rooftop and were rescued by a helicopter which landed on the roof of adjacent building. The stranded people were directed through a stairway to the adjacent building and were lifted to safety by the helicopter late at night.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Suchart Muenkaew said about 100 people live inside the building and at least 50 of them were rescued.

Firefighters continued to douse the building with water but smokes still billowed out of the building late Sunday night, causing fear that the building would collapse.

Edit: Just updated...

Thankfully, no deaths. Anyone see it?

Edited January 4, 2009 by tigerboy

[permanent_disorder]

one dead, 70 injured.

a clip from thai television news on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jxSxHWT-dQ

[JetsetBkk]

one dead, 70 injured.

a clip from thai television news on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jxSxHWT-dQ

Hmm - that video got posted pretty quick! I saw that news item tonight, just after midnight. Very scary.