Relatives of Corporal Phitsanu, a victim of the Lat Phrao brewery fire, revealed his final message: On the day of the incident, he took his wife and friends to celebrate their 3rd wedding anniversary. When the fire broke out, he pushed his wife out of the building, then went back inside to help a friend and died.
On 13 Jul 2016, a fire broke out inside an entertainment venue in the Lat Phrao area of Bangkok, resulting in 27 deaths and many injuries. Among the deceased was Corporal Phitsanu Taengsopha from Sam Chuk district, Suphanburi province.
Reporters visited Corporal Phitsanu's home in Sam Chuk district, where relatives had prepared a place to receive his body for funeral rites amid an atmosphere filled with sorrow. Relatives and villagers continuously came to offer their support to the family.
Captain Chaiporn Boonmee, the deceased's uncle, revealed that before the incident, his nephew called to ask him to care for the plants at home and said he would return in a few days. He was scheduled to come back on the 25th to make merit for his grandmother, which he had planned.
After the incident, the family could hardly believe it was true until they learned that Corporal Phitsanu was trapped inside the flames and had died. Everyone was deeply saddened, especially the deceased’s mother, who was in a fragile mental state after losing three family members within less than a year.
The uncle also said that the day of the incident was Corporal Phitsanu and his wife's 3rd wedding anniversary. They invited friends to celebrate at the popular venue. Normally, his nephew was not a partygoer and preferred to spend his free time visiting his mother, often returning every week when not on duty.
During the fire, the wife called Corporal Phitsanu’s mother to report the fire inside the venue. She said that Corporal Phitsanu had pushed her out of the building safely, then decided to run back inside to help friends still trapped, but he was unable to escape and died at the scene.
The family said Corporal Phitsanu was a kind, friendly, and generous person, loved by those around him. His sudden passing has caused great sorrow among family, relatives, and acquaintances. Everyone is waiting to receive his body back to his hometown for traditional funeral rites amid the community’s mourning.