"Fishing boat fire" incident At the Chok Anawil fish raft pier in Khanom District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, 10 fishing boats were destroyed, with damages exceeding 30 million baht. Police are rushing to investigate the cause, which is suspected to be an electrical short circuit.
At 01:00 on 20 March 2026, Police Lieutenant Colonel Athorn Thongnak, Deputy Inspector at Khanom Police Station, Nakhon Si Thammarat, received a report of multiple fishing boats on fire at the Chok Anawil fish raft pier, Village No. 1, Khanom Subdistrict, Khanom District, Nakhon Si Thammarat. He, along with Police Colonel Kittipong Thepnhoo, Chief of Khanom Police Station, proceeded to the scene with firefighting and rescue vehicles.from various local agenciesKhanom DistrictSeveral vehicles were mobilized to fight the fire.
Upon arrival, they found the fire spreading among approximately 10 fishing boats lined up at the pier. Officials sprayed water to suppress the flames for about 4 hours due tostrong wind blowing continuouslybefore the fire was finally brought under control.
Preliminary investigation has not identified which boat started the fire. Authorities are still verifying clear information. Witnesses reportedthat a fire broke outon one fishing boat, causing its mooring rope to break, which allowed the burning boat to drift and collide with other boats, spreading the fire and destroying 10 boats in total.
Later, Police Lieutenant Colonel Watcharin Kongphet, Deputy Chief Investigator of Khanom Police Station, Nakhon Si Thammarat, arrived to inspect the scene.The fishing boat firealso included an interview with Mr. Anan Yingyuad, 60, owner of all 10 Chok Anawil fishing boats. The suspected cause of the fire isone of the 10 fishing boatswhich hada persistent water leak inside.He had engineers install a water pump on the boat and operated it continuously for 24 hours to remove water.
This may have caused the water pump motor to overheat, sparking the initial fire on the first fishing boat, which thenspread toother fishing boats docked closely together, destroying all 10. At the time, strong winds were blowing,causing the fireto spread rapidly. The total damage isestimated at about 30 million baht, as each fishing boat is worth around 3 million baht.The Khanom police have not yet concluded the cause of the fire. They are waiting for forensic police from Nakhon Si Thammarat to conduct a detailed investigation at the scene to determine the exact cause. Regarding suspicions of arson, Khanom police will review witness statements and security camera footage
near the scene for a thorough examination.. . .Further detailed investigation will continue.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nopadol Khaomali, Khanom District Chief of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, told reporters that the fire destroying 10 fishing boats at Chok Anawil fish raft pier last night was personally overseen by him.He coordinated firefighting efforts in person,mobilizing fire trucks from Khanom and neighboring Sichon District to assist,successfully bringing the fire under control.
The fire was extinguished by 04:00hours the previous night.. . .The preliminary cause is believed to be an electrical short circuit on the initial fishing boat. However, the true cause of the firewill be determined after forensic police from Nakhon Si Thammarat conduct a thorough investigation at the scene to conclude the exact cause of this fire.
