A taxi was completely destroyed by fire, but fortunately, the driver and passenger managed to stop the car and escape in time without any injuries. It was revealed that the vehicle had just been retrieved from a repair garage.
On 30 Jan 2026 at 18:30, Police Lieutenant Jinnat Sangjaprawan, an investigator at Samrong Tai Police Station in Samut Prakan Province, received a report of a taxi fire on the Kanchanaphisek Expressway service road near Wat Bang Yha Phraek, close to the Phor Pu Shrine in Village No. 13, Bang Yha Phraek Subdistrict, Phra Pradaeng District. He coordinated with the Pu Chao Saming Phrai Municipality’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Center to dispatch fire trucks to assist, then proceeded to the scene to investigate.
At the scene, two fire trucks from Pu Chao Saming Phrai Municipality were actively dousing flames engulfing the yellow taxi. It took about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire. The taxi was completely damaged. Nearby, the taxi driver, Mr. Waikun, 49, and a female passenger appeared shocked by the incident.
Officials' preliminary investigation found the taxi had picked up a passenger near Rama 3 Road, heading towards Bang Yha Phraek. Upon reaching the spot, the driver noticed a burning smell and smoke emanating from the engine compartment. He stopped the car and fled just before the fire quickly engulfed the vehicle. The cause is suspected to be an electrical system fault, as the vehicle had recently come from an air-conditioning repair garage.
A 59-year-old sausage vendor who witnessed the event said the taxi passed by his stall with a female passenger inside. He saw smoke billowing from under the hood. The driver tried to move the car to an open area to ensure safety, then both the driver and passenger opened the doors and fled unharmed. Shortly after, smoke and flames spread rapidly, destroying the taxi. The vendor feared the gas tank might explode since most taxis run on gas, so he stopped passing vehicles until fire trucks arrived to control the blaze.
Taxi driver Mr. Waikun said he had just picked up the vehicle from an air-conditioning repair garage near Rama 3. While driving, he was called by a passenger who wanted to go to Bang Yha Phraek, traveling from the Phumiphon Bridge area. At the incident site, he smelled smoke but the fire had not yet ignited. The female passenger commented that smoke was entering the car, so he stopped. The passenger, traveling alone, got out and went home. The vehicle was parked with sparks visible at the front. He explained the taxi is a daily rental costing 500 baht per day and this was its first trip since repair. He had not yet received any fare, as the passenger left before reaching the destination. Although he has driven for many years, he had never encountered such an incident before. The car was taken for repairs because the air conditioning was not cooling properly, and after fixing it, he resumed driving.