Anyone got any pics ?

You're right. It is still raging. I was a bit too fast.

It is just that the fire trucks and ambulances stopped rushing through Sathorn long ago.

Anyway seeing the kind of fire trucks they were, I guess we have not seen the end of it yet,...

at this rate it will be in phuket by... ooh June! <quivvers>

Better check the fire extingishers!

I hope no-one got hurt in the fire!

Photos

Looks to me like the slum area that is [was] next door to the driving range. I think the high rise on the left in the second photo is Park Suan Plu. Looks like that photo is from the big skyscraper on Sathorn (can't remember the name).

TH

Anyone got any pics ?

George posted one picture in BKK topics.

it's live on ITV right now!

I think that a lot of the old slums are basically property that was "homesteaded" a few generations back. With extended families living there and unclear titles, these houses rarely come on the real estate market. They are often located in what is now prime real estate. If the neighborhood burns, most of the inhabitants will probably just pack up and leave. Any holdouts could be bought out or booted out pretty easily.

There's an "unused" property bill in Parliment now that has the Buddhist Church in an uproar. It would allow the govn't to appropriate "unused" land. As most of the unused land either has squatters on it or is owned by the various Wats, the Church isn't too happy with this bill.

That land option sounds quite possible... but I don't recall any bulldozers down in Pattaya. I DO recall bulldozers downing all the bars and shops in sukhumvit plaza by someone highly ranked...

Anyway... it was a quite a while ago since we had a fire... I think Klong Thoey was the last one and that's quite a few years ago. (I don't count Novotel 33 as a fire... as it was only 3 floors that burned)

Does anyone remember (about 8 years ago or more) all the large shopping centers which caught fire at night, (several The Malls, Centrals) so that this one insurance company would basically go bankrupt and that another one could come in (or at least that was the story afterwards) Sounds like the land deal no?

Anyway greets from the cold cold belgium again (since yesterday)

That land option sounds quite possible... but I don't recall any bulldozers down in Pattaya. I DO recall bulldozers downing all the bars and shops in sukhumvit plaza by someone highly ranked...

Anyway... it was a quite a while ago since we had a fire... I think Klong Thoey was the last one and that's quite a few years ago. (I don't count Novotel 33 as a fire... as it was only 3 floors that burned)

Does anyone remember (about 8 years ago or more) all the large shopping centers which caught fire at night, (several The Malls, Centrals) so that this one insurance company would basically go bankrupt and that another one could come in (or at least that was the story afterwards) Sounds like the land deal no?

Anyway greets from the cold cold belgium again (since yesterday)

I heard Mr. Suchinda was involved in that one.

Map

Would not be surprised if this land belongs to the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand that is right there.

TH

Thanks for all the post's and info, being from NY large colums of smoke in the sky make me paranoid. And then to make it worse, most of the Thai people are just going on about there buisness as if nothing is happening!

From my office window the smoke seems to be subsiding.....will keep you posted on new developments.

- This has been Shopgurl reporting for Thai Visa

Thanks for all the post's and info, being from NY large colums of smoke in the sky make me paranoid. And then to make it worse, most of the Thai people are just going on about there buisness as if nothing is happening!

I understand you jjrbus, but than in Thailand the people don't take it as tragedy.

More, Aaaah, the slums in between the five star buildings.

Yeah, hope nobody gets hurt or missed the warnings

I can just imagine all the land investors/condo developers salivating at this moment.....

Thanks for all the post's and info, being from NY large colums of smoke in the sky make me paranoid. And then to make it worse, most of the Thai people are just going on about there buisness as if nothing is happening!

The Thai authorities have just upgraded their national security status from: "Don't care about it unless there's money in it for us" to "Lets go for Lunch"

At 15h50 the blaze does not seem under control at all!!!

probably because the soi is too narrow for the fire engines to get through.

If I remember correctly about the Central Chidlom fire, the security guards wouldn't let the firemen into the store because they had/have a reputation for stealing stuff while on the premises. So it simply burned down. TIT.

From George's photo, I'd say it was taken from what was the Banyan Tree and is now the Westin hotel, with the Sokhothai on the right. When I was up there in the bar before they turned it into a posh restaurant you could see the slums over near the expresway. Not really that close to Sathorn.

The Thai authorities have just upgraded their national security status from: "Don't care about it unless there's money in it for us" to "Lets go for Lunch"

Its a bit late for lunch, you know how these Thais like to eat!

A good friend of mine in the govt that the actual national security status has in fact been upgraded to... "Lets go have a massage"

Not sure if that comes above or below the lunch one?

Thanks for all the post's and info, being from NY large colums of smoke in the sky make me paranoid. And then to make it worse, most of the Thai people are just going on about there buisness as if nothing is happening!

That's why shrinks are filthy rich in New York, and why none of the locals here even know about psychiatry being a career option.

Some reasons why Thais may take it easier than Westerners, in particular Americans:

1. It's too hot to worry.

2. If I stop and watch, I might miss out on that parking space, a once in a lifetime opportunity to park legally in Bangkok.

3. It's not anywhere near my house.

4. Today is Friday after all, and I need my soda-deluted 100 Pipers BADLY. No bleeding fires can stop me.

5. Great, this might divert my hubby's/wife's attention so I can sneak away with my lover no.2 (or maybe no.3) for some sanuk-sanaan.

6. No mushroom cloud, just smoke. Mai pen rai.

Suggestion from the Thais in my office - as Tung Mahamee lies between two well-developed areas, what are the odds that some big developer (no names, no pack drill) has an option on the land, when cleared?

This was done in HK by the government 10/20 years ago.

The Thai authorities have just upgraded their national security status from: "Don't care about it unless there's money in it for us" to "Lets go for Lunch"

Its a bit late for lunch, you know how these Thais like to eat!

A good friend of mine in the govt that the actual national security status has in fact been upgraded to... "Lets go have a massage"

Not sure if that comes above or below the lunch one?

So that would make the colour warning somewhere in the "red Light" district?

If I remember correctly about the Central Chidlom fire, the security guards wouldn't let the firemen into the store because they had/have a reputation for stealing stuff while on the premises. So it simply burned down. TIT.

Yes, I remember a story like this. Anyway at Central Chidlom the firemen apparently had done a good job and extinguished the fire.

So it started once again 9:00 am next morning.

BTW, the original fire started only after 9:00 p.m., i.e. after everybody had left the building. I say, that's caring. We don't want any accidental victims.

The Thai authorities have just upgraded their national security status from: "Don't care about it unless there's money in it for us" to "Lets go for Lunch"

I think it's "we need some beer chang" already!

Thanks for all the post's and info, being from NY large colums of smoke in the sky make me paranoid. And then to make it worse, most of the Thai people are just going on about there buisness as if nothing is happening!

That's why shrinks are filthy rich in New York, and why none of the locals here even know about psychiatry being a career option.

Some reasons why Thais may take it easier than Westerners, in particular Americans:

1. It's too hot to worry.

2. If I stop and watch, I might miss out on that parking space, a once in a lifetime opportunity to park legally in Bangkok.

3. It's not anywhere near my house.

4. Today is Friday after all, and I need my soda-deluted 100 Pipers BADLY. No bleeding fires can stop me.

5. Great, this might divert my hubby's/wife's attention so I can sneak away with my lover no.2 (or maybe no.3) for some sanuk-sanaan.

6. No mushroom cloud, just smoke. Mai pen rai.

Can we not love the Thais? I for one can't.

It is not that they do not care but they understand that: c'est la vie!

BTW, the original fire started only after 9:00 p.m., i.e. after everybody had left the building. I say, that's caring. We don't want any accidental victims.

I thought some of the staff inspecting the building afterwards were killed when some of it collapsed. Weren' t they innocent victims?

I think it's "we need some beer chang" already!

Puhlease...

No self-respecting Thai official drinks that &lt;deleted&gt; - they'd much prefer to mix Johnny Black with some type of carbonated contaminate! It's all about street cred mate, and Elephant beer don't got none

Some reasons why Thais may take it easier than Westerners, in particular Americans:

1. It's too hot to worry.

2. If I stop and watch, I might miss out on that parking space, a once in a lifetime opportunity to park legally in Bangkok.

3. It's not anywhere near my house.

4. Today is Friday after all, and I need my soda-deluted 100 Pipers BADLY. No bleeding fires can stop me.

5. Great, this might divert my hubby's/wife's attention so I can sneak away with my lover no.2 (or maybe no.3) for some sanuk-sanaan.

6. No mushroom cloud, just smoke. Mai pen rai.

I once had this kind of attitude when i was first living with my girlfriend... more to the subject of doing the laundry/dishers

A "sexual favours ban" soon put me into line...

> A "sexual favours ban" soon put me into line...

Oh man, dominated!

Some people DID die at the Central fire, after they were ordered into the building despite it being declared off limits, so they could salvage some of the goods. But of course, the Central VIP responsible wasn't prosecuted for manslaughter or anything else, as far as I know. I don't know if he even donated the usual few baht to the families as conscience money.

What is the status guys?