Mysterious fires in Phatthalung home now under scientific investigation

[webfact]

Mysterious fires in Phatthalung home now under scientific investigation



BANGKOK: -- Mysterious fires at a home in Tamod district of Phatthalung remained a focus of attention of the public although a digital television station, Channel 8, would come out to suggest the fires were manmade rather than supernatural cause.

It released a video clip captured by a hidden surveillance camera showing a woman seemed to be acting suspiciously as if she was igniting a fire at a pile of clothes on the floor at the corner of a room inside the house.

She left the clothes and walked out of the room and returned again a few minutes later with a young girl pointing fingers at the clothes which was catching fire.

The woman, later identified as daughter-in-law of the house owner, and her husband were later questioned by police if they cooperated in igniting the fire.

But both of them as well as the house owner denied making the fires, saying there was no use in doing so.

No charge was so far pressed against them but the governor of Phatthalung warned that if the mysterious fires were manmade or collaboration, they could face deceiving the public for some gains.

Moreover, arson charge could be filed against them.

Mystery remains and now is stimulating the interest of scientists of government agencies and universities to investigate jointly.

Authorities of some state organisations have now brought in gas measuring equipment to find the cause of the fires.

They have uncovered that there seem to be some flammable gas emanating from the rear of the house which might have ignited.

The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology Mr Wirapong Phaesuwan revealed the findings in the investigation of mysterious fires that have repeatedly ignited in the home of Lorm Sakwan in Tamod district in Phatthalung province.

He stated that a team of researchers had been sent to investigate the matter bringing along specialized measuring instruments in an attempt to find the cause of the fires.

What the team found was that there was a large amount of suspended flammable chemical elements in the air around the house.

Furthermore, traces of a flammable gas emanating from somewhere within the grounds of the house were also discovered.

A village elder that was questioned suspects that there might be a large underground cavity somewhere in the area that contain accumulated organic substances that could be producing the gases.

“This is the area in question and the ministry will be working to find scientific data to get to the bottom of the matter. First we must determine what kind of gas is in the area and having done that we then have to find where it is emanating from. A survey of the local terrain will also have to be carried out to ascertain the make-up of the surrounding soil and rocks,” he said.

On questioning an elderly sage at the village who now is part of the research team as an advisor, he suspects that there might be a large subterranean cavity somewhere in the area which over time had accumulated organic matter. These matters had decayed over a period of time and produced gases. Bear in mind that this in only one man’s theory and the only thing we can be sure of is that there are flammable gases in the area. The problem is finding the source of the gases, the permanent secretary said.

Another research team from the Thaksin University who had cordoned off the house even to its owners so that 11 closed-circuit cameras could be installed, have found no untoward footage on the cameras even though they were run for 24 hours continuously.

On top of these researchers, a team of geologists have also now been brought in to investigate the terrain on which the house sits to see if there was actually an underground cavity somewhere.

So far the only thing they discovered was that they were definitely some flammable gas emanating from somewhere but do not know what that gas was.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/mysterious-fires-in-phatthalung-home-now-under-scientific-investigation

-- Thai PBS 2015-05-01

[canuckamuck]

If it had been methane pooling and catching fire there would have been at least small explosions and the fires would have been at the ground level, not up in the rafters, as we saw in one picture earlier. They will continue to pursue the ghost hypothesis I suppose, despite having some pretty strong evidence that there is a nutjob living there.

[phoenixdoglover]

This is just ridiculous. Carry on.

[webfact]

Mysterious fires seem to fear security cameras

Phatthalung: - The family that claims more than 200 mysterious fires erupted in their house during the past month no longer attract the attention from relatives and neighbors. The family, instead, catches police attention.

Thairath reported on Friday that no locals showed up to help the family watch over the possibility of mysterious fires anymore after the series of fires at the house suddenly stop under the close surveillance of security cameras installed by a university team.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/821686-mysterious-fires-seem-to-fear-security-cameras/

[Tywais]

If you look carefully at the video you can see her holding her hand down at the edge of the blanket for a while and when she took her hand away there was a small flame there. Of course one can't rule out spontaneous combustion.

[Thaddeus]

If you look carefully at the video you can see her holding her hand down at the edge of the blanket for a while and when she took her hand away there was a small flame there. Of course one can't rule out spontaneous combustion.

Please Ty, don't go giving them ideas.

[Oziex1]

My scientific mind says the girl stopped lighting the fires when the cameras were brought in.

And what's all this science stuff they are bringing in for this superstitious nonsense, how about real science for forensic murder investigations and I stop now.

[waza]

"So far the only thing they discovered was that they were definitely some flammable gas emanating from somewhere but do not know what that gas was."

I have the same problem after a nice curry

[Reigntax]

Obviously the house is infested with a swarm of firebugs

[lemonjelly]

Liar liar your pants are on fire