A tense incident occurred when a 72-year-old man was inflating his car tires and lost the valve cap. While moving the car to find it, he accidentally pressed the accelerator, hitting a barrier. Startled, he reversed the car, which then crashed into a fuel pump at a Rama 2 gas station, igniting a fire that destroyed both the car and the pump. Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities.
At 07:14 on 6 May 2026, Police Lieutenant Rongsak Petchkhiao, deputy investigator at Samaedam Police Station, received a report of a car fire at a gas station in the Rama 2 area of Bangkok. He and officials from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department promptly responded to the scene.
At the scene, a bronze-gold Nissan Cefiro sedan with Bangkok license plates was found crashed against a fuel pump. Flames engulfed both the car and the pump before spreading to the gas station roof. Firefighters quickly doused the blaze with foam, extinguishing it shortly after. The fire completely destroyed the car, the fuel pump, and part of the station's roof. Fortunately, no injuries or deaths occurred.
Investigation revealed that before the incident, Mr. Sophon, 72, was driving the automatic transmission car fueled by gasoline. He was accompanied by his wife, traveling from Ban Phanthai Norasingh in Mueang Samut Sakhon District, Samut Sakhon Province, to Somdet Phra Pinklao Hospital for a medical checkup and medication. On the way, he stopped at the gas station to inflate all four tires. After inflating the left front tire, he could not find the valve cap, which had fallen under the car. While moving the vehicle to locate it, he accidentally pressed the accelerator, hitting the air pump barrier. Startled, he reversed forcefully into the fuel pump, causing sparks and igniting a fire. He escaped the vehicle in time, while his wife waited outside during the incident.
Officials and relevant parties are currently assessing the damage to the gas station and coordinating with forensic teams to investigate the scene.
Initially, Mr. Sophon has been charged with reckless driving causing damage to others' property and will face legal proceedings accordingly.