SRT Governor Hints At Gangs Being Behind Chatuchak Market Fire

[webfact]

SRT governor hints at gangs being behind Chatuchak market fire

The Nation

The State Railway of Thailand will hold discussions with vendors on Thursday about the fire that broke out in Chatuchak Market on Wednesday night, SRT governor Yutthana Thapcharoen said.

He has doubts about the cause of the fire because it took place during a downpour.

"Maybe it was caused because of the crackdown on mafia gangs operating in the market," he said.

The incident occurred just a few days after the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) handed back the management of the weekend market to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) after its commercial lease expired on January 1.

Yutthana was apparently referring to gangs who lost benefits as a result of the transfer. They had reportedly secured stall rental contracts to lease to other vendors at high prices during the BMA's tenure.

The fire, which broke out at about 8.30pm, destroyed book stalls at the back of the market but no one was injured. Fire fighters took about an hour to extinguish the flames.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Pornthep Techapaibul inspected the site on Thursday morning. He said the BMA would be responsible for renovating the stalls, which were BMA assets.

The SRT would take care of the vendors and internal administration, he said.

Pol Maj Gen Samrueng Suwannapong, a city police commander, said forensic police had already collected evidence at the fire site. Police have not yet concluded whether it was arson or accidental.

-- The Nation 2012-01-05

[whybother]

He has doubts about the cause of the fire because it took place during a downpour.

Leaking water ... electricity ... books ...

[n1sse]

He has doubts about the cause of the fire because it took place during a downpour.

Leaking water ... electricity ... books ...

I think you are on to some thing there... I have worked as electrician for most of my life befor moving to Thailand and if there is something that you can see when locking at the electrical instalations here are that they are not safe!

[Asianrider]

He has doubts about the cause of the fire because it took place during a downpour.

Leaking water ... electricity ... books ...

I think you are on to some thing there... I have worked as electrician for most of my life befor moving to Thailand and if there is something that you can see when locking at the electrical instalations here are that they are not safe!

Earth bonding still a growing concept in this country lol

[BookMan]

I wonder if this means some of those books will be discounted, or back on shelves at full price.? Slight moisture content. No problem.

[PoodMaiDai]

Yea, must be the gangs. lolol

[kartman]

I wonder if this means some of those books will be discounted, or back on shelves at full price.? Slight moisture content. No problem.

Especially the ones on how to deal with flooded cars

[farangbanok]

Earth bonding still a growing concept in this country lol

My home has earth bonding to every socket ............ but naturally there is no earth spike! TiT

[bluebluewater]

I was at JJ market one afternoon a while back and an electrical fire broke out above one of the stalls. The way things are wired up there I'm surprised there isn't one every time someone flips a switch.

You should have seen them trying to put it out. What a cluster . .

[webfact]

SUNDAY MARKET

Police doubt arson behind Chatuchak fire

The Nation

A fire at Chatuchak market on Wednesday night was likely an accident, not arson, Bangkok police chief Pol Lt General Winai Thongsong said yesterday. He said media speculation about the cause was based on a coming takeover of the lucrative lease from the city administration According to a crime scene investigation, the fire broke out in stall numbers 40 and 41, possibly from a electrical short circuit. A senior commander, Pol Colonel Pheeraphong Wongsaman has not entirely ruled out arson "but we would rather focus our investigation on it as an accident," he said.

Pheeraphong said there were four witnesses to the fire, who said they saw no signs of arsonists at the scene, but a large plume of smoke rising from both stalls.

As a result of the fire, the number of police guarding the Chatuchak park had increased to 40, in addition to private security guards deployed by the State Railway of Thailand, which will take over the operation from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

The daughter of a woman who rents one of the two stalls, who asked not to be named, said she did not believe the fire was an accident but would rather not comment further. She explained that all stalls in her Zone 24, located between Soi 4 and 5, had used a communal circuit breaker, which would shut off power distribution if an electric short circuit occurred.

She added that her mother had rented the stall for over ten years, and the fire had destroyed new books and magazines worth around Bt1 million.

Deputy Bangkok governor Phornthep Tejaphaibool refused to comment on the cause of the fire, other than he personally believed it was not an arson attack. He called on the SRT to handle security better, as he had learned from vendors that the Chatuchak fence had not been locked since January 2, when the SRT unofficially took over from the BMA.

The shops and stalls in the famous weekend market belong jointly to vendors and the BMA. They may be bought entirely or partly for around Bt100 million by the SRT when it commences fullscale operations. Both agencies are working on the handing over of operations apart from ownership of the shops and stalls.

-- The Nation 2012-01-06

[crusader79]

That place is a deathtrap when crowded. One of these days....

[ding]

- if it were a place in which I was going to be spending a lot of time...

I'd install fuses (not molded case circuit breakers) and create a grouded system .

Fuses have a much higher IAC ating and reduce arc flash a ton. Also, I'd use GFI's. They detect an imbalance between 2 conductors and have circuitry that trips the circuit on the 'assumption' that there is current leakage to ground.

Also, there are Arc Fault Breakers that detect arcing and trip instantly.

Less arcing reduces fires. Arc flash is a violent firey explosion. Fire bad.

my .02 fwiw

[anterian]

- if it were a place in which I was going to be spending a lot of time...

I'd install fuses (not molded case circuit breakers) and create a grouded system .

Fuses have a much higher IAC ating and reduce arc flash a ton. Also, I'd use GFI's. They detect an imbalance between 2 conductors and have circuitry that trips the circuit on the 'assumption' that there is current leakage to ground.

Also, there are Arc Fault Breakers that detect arcing and trip instantly.

Less arcing reduces fires. Arc flash is a violent firey explosion. Fire bad.

my .02 fwiw

I have never heard of GFIs, in England we call then RCCBs. Which country calls them GFIs?

Incidentally Homepro sell them but think they are ELTs, they are all on the same shelf you just have to search.

[wintermute]

Does Chatuchak even sell any crap worth buying these days? Whenever i've been there i've seen overpriced english novels, thai magazines that are good to use as toilet paper and stove lighters, the same chinese textiles you find the world over, and sad looking trafficked animals.

There's your odd bric-a-brac but most of the stuff there is trash with dazed and sweaty looking tourists wandering around spending way too much on Chang T-shirts.