UPDATE Responder Warns Against Hiding in Toilets During Fire Picture courtesy of Khaosod An emergency responder, who helped rescue victims from the fatal blaze, interviewed by Khaosod, warned that people should never hide in toilets during a fire, saying the area became the location where the largest number of casualties were found. He also said firefighters and responders, could not see emergency exit signs because thick smoke left them ineffective. Teerapol Rungduangdee, a volunteer with the Disaster Relief Volunteers of Thailand, described his experience during the rescue operation. He arrived at the scene at 12.18am and entered the building at around 12.20am, about 20 minutes after the fire broke out. Inside the women’s toilet, his team found three victims lying on the floor, while another five people were discovered in nearby small rooms. All eight were evacuated through a rear door used by staff and moved to a safe area where medical teams took over their treatment. Teerapol said those rescued still appeared to be alive when they were removed from the building. Most were suffering from smoke inhalation rather than burns, although some victims had run through flames and sustained varying degrees of burn injuries. He said the area where the highest number of trapped victims was found was the toilets. In total, firefighters discovered 13 unconscious people inside toilet areas during the operation. According to Teerapol, smoke inhalation victims can normally survive for no more than five minutes before losing consciousness. In this case, he said rescuers encountered thick, hot smoke containing toxic gases produced by materials burning on the ceiling, creating dangerous conditions throughout the building. He urged the public not to assume toilets provide protection during a fire, despite this being a common reaction. He stressed that, in reality, toilets do not offer a safe refuge from smoke or toxic gases. Teerapol also questioned the effectiveness of overhead emergency exit signs during fires. He said firefighters could not see any exit signs because smoke rises to the ceiling, completely obscuring them. He suggested Thailand could consider using glow-in-the-dark or reflective floor-level exit markers similar to those used in Japan. Regarding reports that two rear exit doors may have been locked, Teerapol said he could not confirm this because his team entered through the front of the building. He added that firefighters are trained to reach victims regardless of obstacles, although the narrow layout made the rescue especially difficult. He also noted that the building had a ceiling height of about 2.5 metres, lower than the more typical three metres found in many buildings. While he did not say this was abnormal, he explained that lower ceilings allow heat to build up more quickly during a fire. 13 July 2026
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