Firefighters quickly sprayed water to control flames engulfing a two-story wooden house in the central market area of Nakhon Nayok municipality after the homeowner heard an explosion from an electrical pole inside the house. In a tense situation, she hurriedly evacuated her 94-year-old father to safety.
At 8:00 p.m. on 14 Jul 2016 GMT+7, a fire broke out in a two-story house with a concrete ground floor and wooden upper floor, located in an alley beside the Krung Thai Bank branch in Nakhon Nayok municipality. The fire was reported by Miss Katekaew Prapasiri, the homeowner's daughter and eyewitness. Fire trucks from Nakhon Nayok municipality arrived at the narrow alley leading to the house.
They sprayed water to suppress the fire raging on the wooden upper floor, described as a blazing inferno, fearing it would spread to nearby houses. Additional water trucks from Ruamkatanyu Foundation, Ban Yai Subdistrict Administrative Organization, Prommani Subdistrict Administrative Organization, and neighboring subdistricts assisted in dousing the surrounding area. After about 30 minutes, the fire was brought under control.
Miss Katekaew Prapasiri, the homeowner's daughter and eyewitness, said she was in the adjacent house watching a royal news broadcast when she suddenly heard an explosion-like sound from an electrical pole inside the burning house. The pole had exploded before. She went outside to look and saw flames at the top of the pole, then heard several popping sounds while smoke emerged from the burning house. The house was unoccupied and used for storage, containing two teak cabinets and teak furniture. She had already taken her 94-year-old father outside to safety.
Officials from the Nakhon Nayok Provincial Electricity Authority arrived at the scene and cut off the power supply to prevent danger to firefighters working at the site. When asked about the cause, the officials said it was likely due to an electrical short circuit inside the house (the origin of the fire). The current then flowed back to the connection point at the top of the electrical pole, where black marks were visible. The explosion sounds the homeowner reported corresponded to the sparking at this blackened pole area.
Preliminary inspection revealed multiple extension wires connected, which is against standard practice. Ideally, the house's power line should connect directly to the circuit breaker inside the house. However, the visible connection point at the pole caused unstable electrical current.