Traffic In Fire-stricken Area Returns To Normal

Traffic in fire-stricken area returns to normal

BANGKOK: -- Traffic in a Bangkok area devastated by a major on Thursday night has returned to normal. The area was sealed off for several hours overnight until the fire was put out.

However, the city authorities have banned people from approaching the fire affected area until a detailed structural inspection of the fire-stricken buildings are completed.

The fire broke out in an 8-storey building on Prachathipok Road on the Thonburi side of Bangkok on Thursday night. The commercial building is located near Rajabhat Institute Somdejchaophraya.

The fierce flames from the fire forced the local traffic police to seal off the area until the fire had subsided.

Rescue officers later found a charred body of an elderly woman on the second floor of the building. The 72-year-old paralysed woman was reportedly an owner of the building.

Police are still investigating the cause of the fire.

The extent and value of the damage from the fire has not yet been estimated.

--TNA 2005-06-03