Massive fire destroys Indian nightclub

[reader]

From Pattaya Mail

The inferno on Pattaya Walking Street, which consumed the entire structure, could be seen from kilometers away, with a towering plume of smoke visible in nearby subdistricts.

A ferocious fire destroyed an Indian nightclub on Pattaya’s Walking Street, injuring no one, but taking 10 fire companies to extinguish.

Flames broke out at the Nashaa Club around 9:30 p.m. Sept. 12 and spread rapidly through the four-story shophouse and damaging two adjacent structures.

Nashaa, along with the rest of Walking Street’s nightlife businesses, have been closed since April and the blaze broke out after Pattaya’s 9 p.m., so the building and the street were vacant, save for a lone security guard. No firefighter injuries also were reported.

The inferno, which consumed the entire structure, sending flames shooting out on to Walking Street, could be seen from kilometers away, with a towering plume of smoke visible in nearby subdistricts.

Security guard Patvioda Srisuk, 32, said his first hint at trouble began with the sound of an explosion, suspected to be a gas cannister. That would trigger a serious of dangerous explosions over the next hour that made it extremely dangerous for firefighters to enter and battle the fames from inside.

Pattaya Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department officials classified the fire as nearly a Category 7, one of the worst on record, with heat the made it nearly impossible to approach. They feared the building’s metal roof would collapse, but the blaze was controlled fast enough to prevent any parts of the shophouse from falling.

Based on the number of “for sale” and “for rent” signs across Pattaya during the coronavirus pandemic, nearly all bars in the city have gone, or are close to going, bankrupt. Owners have been deprived any sort of compensation for the government, leaving owners few options to recover their losses.

Continues with photos

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/massive-fire-destroys-indian-nightclub-on-pattayas-walking-street-371714

[spoon]

I wonder if they have fire insurance for their premises? At least if the investigation doesnt found any fraud, they might be able to use the claim and start fresh when the time is right.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, spoon said:

I wonder if they have fire insurance for their premises? At least if the investigation doesnt found any fraud, they might be able to use the claim and start fresh when the time is right.

A cynic would suggest that the investigation itself could be fraudulent if the investigators are appropriately incentivized.   Presumably this is work for the BIB ?