Fire Destroys New Muay Thai Boxing Stadium in Central Pattaya

[xen]

Every night i pass the venue is always packed. The bus parking around back also full. From the outside it looks like business was good but until you know the costs vs expenses hard to say

It can be a curse to be too succesful in Thailand - the competing businesses may not approve .

[hottrader77]

How does an air conditioner explode (with combustion). what is combustible in one of them?

i read that the gas in conditioners was replaced it would NOT surprise me if low intelligence thais ( not all are the same ) replaced the gas and caused the explosion , it will probably get swept under the carpet ( or should i say the new carpet as the old one is burned ))

[sabaii69]

AC units can explode and even kill you if you are too near.

This firefighter of 30 years has never seen this happen. Nothing combustible.

[springheeled jack]

the air condition compressor units had just been serviced and refilled with gas one unit exploded causing the fire there was no mention of any more units exploding during the fire which I find strange .

[Don Mega]

maybe the AC units were filled with propane.

[Jessi]

I think I know the cause.

I had a plummer here the other day & I told him he should find another trade.

looks like he changed over to A/C units.

[TheCruncher]

the air condition compressor units had just been serviced and refilled with gas one unit exploded causing the fire there was no mention of any more units exploding during the fire which I find strange .

Maybe they left out some detailed information on purpose to sidetrack the tv armchair investigation.

[Cynical Sailor]

AC units can explode and even kill you if you are too near.

This firefighter of 30 years has never seen this happen. Nothing combustible.

Could using the wrong refrigerant in the AC cause this?

[mogo51]

Ahh perhaps another Thai stocktake.

[digbeth]

FYI the matches are free to Thai nationals, after the Tourist tickets for the day has been filled, maybe that's why it got popular compared to the other stadiums in Pattaya, plus the match is broadcast on National TV, quite professionally run too....

If it's an insurance job maybe they'd now lost their broadcast tv money and wreak havoc on that channel's scheduling, plus coachload of tourists that filled the seats and even for Thai people that paid nothing to get in, looks like they did a roaring trade in food sales

Edited February 19, 2016 by digbeth

[kannot]

Guess 200 million didnt include the sprinkler system then!!

[oxforddon]

mmmm .....cheap jokes about an expensive disaster .....

[Tingnongnoi]

How could that building have cost 200m to build?

I think they need to find new builders

I may not have Thaivisa CSI level knowledge of building costs, but I would image the cost of all the lighting, the massive monitors and the ones that go all the way around the inside, the sound system, broadcast equipment, electrics etc... would put the value up considerably when added to the cost of just the building and doubt they had time to save any of that.

[Tingnongnoi]

FYI the matches are free to Thai nationals, after the Tourist tickets for the day has been filled, maybe that's why it got popular compared to the other stadiums in Pattaya, plus the match is broadcast on National TV, quite professionally run too....

If it's an insurance job maybe they'd now lost their broadcast tv money and wreak havoc on that channel's scheduling, plus coachload of tourists that filled the seats and even for Thai people that paid nothing to get in, looks like they did a roaring trade in food sales

the T.V shows still going ahead, they have set up temporary ring in big car park area out the back of the stadium.

[donnybay]

insured ?

My first thoughts also, business is slow in Pattaya and the low season hasn't started yet.

Wrong, this place is always packed, my friend goes regularly, B2000 a ticket, every night car park was packed with coaches, TV concession rights, business was booming

Owners must be gutted (excuse the pun)

[papa al]

Damn, have tickets for Sunday night.

[Don Mega]

Damn, have tickets for Sunday night.

ticket not valid for the temporary ring they have set up ?

[pipeflaw]

I guess the sprinkler system required by the Fire Code did not work.

[Transporter]

How does an air conditioner explode (with combustion). what is combustible in one of them?

The gas in it is compressed but I didnt think it was flammable gas so can an expert please enlighten everyone? I have heard of them exploding during regassing if it is done incorrectly but not catching fire too.

[Transporter]

200 million baht to rebuild it? Seems a bit expensive. Maybe the builders in Pattaya charge a hell of a lot more than up in Udon Thani. Maybe it is a misprint and they meant 20 million baht

[farcanell]

AC units can explode and even kill you if you are too near.

This firefighter of 30 years has never seen this happen. Nothing combustible.

The US National fire protection associations talks 7000 plus air conditioner fires, per year, in the US... The quick flick article I just read, mentions that a third of air conditioning fires start due to mechanical or electrical part failure, were there is no part failure modes.... Causing fires to start in the wiring or insulation.

Add fire and compressed gases together.... And.... BOOM!

Now... If we talk about Thai building methods, an electrical based fire, given the local crap standard, is a real danger and not to be underestimated

[onemorechang]

May be

A large Electrical capacitor malfunctions after ( professional maintenance ).

makes a bang, then the electrical fire starts to burn down the insulation on wires.

Big fire a bit latter ?

Does this qualify for CSI, on Thai visa ?

Please remember this is Thailand not a USA or Uk

instillation

Who knows.

Edited February 19, 2016 by onemorechang

[Don Mega]

200 million baht to rebuild it? Seems a bit expensive. Maybe the builders in Pattaya charge a hell of a lot more than up in Udon Thani. Maybe it is a misprint and they meant 20 million baht

As has already been mentioned. do you think all the electrics and lighting inside the building were free ?

[farcanell]

How does an air conditioner explode (with combustion). what is combustible in one of them?

The gas in it is compressed but I didnt think it was flammable gas so can an expert please enlighten everyone? I have heard of them exploding during regassing if it is done incorrectly but not catching fire too.

The gas doesn't have to be flammable, for the explosion to happen.... It just has to be under pressure.

The fire then adds more pressure to the gas "system", until it finally explodes, releasing the gas

That said.... There must be a fire first.... Ergo my last, about research showing that air conditioner fires usually start out as wiring fault fires.... And as the explosion was heard, there's no saying, yet, that it wasn't secondary in nature.

[rws85]

Looks like the budget on the new ring is a bit smaller...

[roger101]

Once apon a time there was one Boxing Stadium ( Theppasit) , and then there were two. With the second one being very successful. Now we are back to one.??

Perhaps its just me being an old cynic.

[Bangkok Barry]

How does an air conditioner explode (with combustion). what is combustible in one of them?

Just another example of third-class Thai maintenance. Same thing happened at what is now the Inter-Continental hotel in Bangkok the day before the building opened. There is a law that states new buildings must have a sprinkler system, but no law saying it must be turned on. Guess if it was turned on. Spectacular blaze with people being airlifted off the roof.

[The manic]

No Great loss there, too bad it didn't burn the rest of Pattaya to the ground

Typical sanctimonious comment from an uninformed and biased TV Pattaya basher..

Well, he has got a point. There are numerous boxing stadiums in Pattaya. Like all great cities in the world, there are detractors.

The owner is a seriously rich bloke, 200 million, no real biggie for him. Like all seriously successful people there will also be detractors.

The Pattaya bashers come out of the blocks quickly on this one. First of all it was an "iinsurance job because the low season hasn't started yet". People who don't know, the place has been packed out. Fights are broadcast on national TV from there. The place was booming, like the rest of Pattaya. Pattaya's tourism was up again 10% last year, off an already high base.

I think part of the problem is people see our hedonistic lifestyle here and are intimidated. The flash cars, this bloke had Lambos etcetera, the hot women, the mansions, the non stop party. In the last few years the Bangkok Thais have seen it and it also becoming more popular with them. We can't built the roads fast enough for millions who flock here every year.

You are correct and now Bangkok is joyless and miserable with its ludicrous closing hours for bars, restaurants and clubs. Add to this BIB hassling tourists on Sukhumvit has led to its loosing its status a a truly international capital city. Pattaya has taken that mantle - the only international city in Thailand. All puritans and naysayers who criticize? We don't care we don't need them.

[Benmart]

Seems to be the usual collection of experts chiming in. I only know what I read and leave the soothsayers and "Know-it-all-nothing's" to provide entertainment..

[bark]

Sad for all the fighters. Both Thai and Foreigners. Not a lot of money, for fighting. They fight for pride.