Police Chief of Division 1 revealed that two Phahonyothin police officers inhaled smoke while assisting victims at a beer factory fire in Lat Phrao and are now improving. He explained the controversy about them taking photos at the scene first, saying it is 'standard procedure.'Tags: [police, fire incident, Lat Phrao, smoke inhalation, procedure]
At 10:30 a.m. on 14 July 2026, Police Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, disclosed by phone the latest condition of Police Senior Sergeants Major Mangkon Krotchomphu and Warichai Chaiwong, supervisors of the Prevention and Suppression Unit at Phahonyothin Police Station. They had assisted fire victims at a bar fire in Lat Phrao and were admitted to Police Hospital for a second time after returning to their welfare flat, showing respiratory symptoms. Particularly, Police Senior Sergeant Major Mangkon experienced nasal congestion, a persistent smell of smoke, and coughing.
Recently, doctors at Police Hospital reported both officers have improved. They were given medication for respiratory irritation and are nearly back to normal. They are currently awaiting lung X-ray results to determine any smoke damage. The doctors diagnosed their condition as caused by inhaling a large amount of toxic smoke from the bar fire, as the officers were close to the fire source and exposed to smoke and soot constantly during their rescue efforts, which caused vomiting on the incident day.
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner also addressed the controversy about the officers taking photos upon arrival at the scene before providing assistance. He clarified that it is standard practice for patrol officers or those entering a scene to photograph as evidence of their work. There is no strict rule on how the photos must be taken. Importantly, video evidence shows the two officers performing CPR on an injured person at the scene, providing aid until they themselves were affected by the toxic smoke.
Regarding criticism, he suggested reviewing the video footage, which serves as crucial evidence.Tags: [police procedure, evidence collection, video footage, controversy, rescue efforts]