Three die in Bangkok hotel blaze

[reader]

From Khaosod English

Three foreign tourists have died following a fire that broke out at The Ember Hotel, a six-story building in Bangkok, late Sunday night. One tourist was pronounced dead at the scene, while two others passed away at the hospital. Another victim remains hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

Police Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, revealed that the fire originated in room 511 on the fifth floor. Surviving tourists are providing statements at Chana Songkhram Police Station as investigators work to determine the cause of the blaze. The forensics team is currently collecting evidence to build a case against those who may be responsible.

The Pharam Radio Center received the fire alert at 9:30 p.m. on December 29 at The Ember Hotel on Tanee Road, Talat Yot, Phra Nakhon district. Bangkok’s Fire and Rescue Department deployed three aerial ladder trucks to rescue guests trapped inside the building, with some tourists taking refuge on the hotel’s rooftop.

Emergency responders rushed four tourists suffering from smoke inhalation to nearby hospitals. Firefighters finally contained the blaze by 10:30 p.m.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt and Deputy Interior Minister Teearat Samretwanich arrived at the scene at 11:00 p.m. Governor Chadchart reported that nearly 40 tourists and hotel staff had fled to the building’s rooftop out of the total 75 guests staying at the hotel. Three aerial ladder trucks were used to gradually evacuate the victims.

“The fire spread was limited due to the swift response from firefighters,” Chadchart stated. “However, heavy smoke posed a significant challenge.” He ordered the temporary closure of the hotel pending a thorough safety inspection. “We must restore tourist confidence in safety measures, especially with New Year’s Eve countdown celebrations approaching,” he added.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2024/12/30/investigation-underway-as-bangkok-hotel-fire-claims-tourist-lives/

[reader]

UPDATE:

Khao San hotel fire

From The Nation

Three people died and seven others were injured in a fire that broke out at a six-storey hotel in the Khao San area of Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district at around 9.40pm on Sunday.

According to Bangkok officials, the fire started on the fifth floor of the hotel, where 39 hotel staff and tourists were staying. Three bucket trucks were deployed to evacuate people stranded on the roof and inside the building.

Firefighters were quickly on the scene and brought the fire under control within an hour.

Of the total 75 guests, one woman was found dead inside a room on the fifth floor. Another two died later at the hospital. The seven injured people were two Thai men, a Japanese man, a foreign woman, a German man, a German woman and a Chinese man.

Bartender Pattarapol Kopornsrisanga said he noticed smoke while working on the sixth floor and told guests to evacuate immediately.

He added that many of the residents escaped either by heading down to street level or up to the roof, but admitted that he was in a state of panic.

Nongnuch Srilom, a merchant who witnessed the incident, said she heard a sound before she saw the smoke. Tourists ran from the hotel to seek assistance, and some collapsed to the ground.

She expressed concern that the fire had broken out in a predominantly tourist area.

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40044632

 

 

 

[reader]

UPDATE

From Bangkok Post

The three victims of the hotel fire near Khao San Road in Bangkok have been identified – including a Brazilian woman whose boyfriend proposed to her last week – as tourism authorities were preparing compensation.

The three who perished in the blaze at The Ember Hotel on Tanee Road near Khao San Road late Sunday night were identified as a 24-year-old Brazilian woman, Pimentel Canales Albuquerque, a 27-year-old Ukrainian man, Tuzov Victor, and a 35-year-old American man, Freeman Timothy Jr.

The woman died in the room where the fire is believed to have started. The two men were pronounced dead at Vajira Hospital and Samitivej Chinatown Hospital.

 

 

Seven people were injured, including an electrician at the hotel, Sorawut Liewhamai, and two Netherlanders, Marvin Holtkamp and Nadine Hueftlein.

The Bangkok governor said the hotel had been developed by the modification of 11 connected commercial building units covering a combined area of 1,515 square metres.

The hotel opened in April 2022. There were two fire exits and sufficient fire extinguishers, but no sprinkler system because it was a small hotel that was not required to have such equipment, he said.

Amorn Pimanmas, president of the Thailand Structural Engineers Association, said the fire likely started in the bed in Room 511 because its mattress was completely burnt and only coil springs were left. The structure of the hotel was intact, he said.

It was reported that three Korean men had stayed in Room 511, but they were not there when the fire broke out.

A hotel staff member rushed to the room at the sound of the fire alarm. When the employee opened the door, black smoke quickly billowed out.

Detectives were looking for the Korean men to question them about the possible cause of the fire.

Natthriya Thaweevong, permanent secretary for tourism and sports, said the government would pay 1 million baht in compensation for each death case and 500,000 baht for each injury case.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2929935/bangkok-hotel-fire-victims-identified-compensation-prepared

[daydreamer]

What a poor choice of name for a hotel.  

The hotel is currently closed temporarily.  Hopefully the owners will re-brand it under a different name before it opens for business again.

[reader]

Fourth victim dies

From Japan Daily News

A Japanese man in his 30s who was taken to a hospital after being injured in a recent fire at a hotel in Bangkok has died, the Japanese Embassy in Thailand said Wednesday.

The man was staying at the Ember Hotel near the popular tourism spot Khaosan Road when the fire broke out on the night of Dec. 29, Thai authorities said, adding he had been unconscious since inhaling smoke in the incident.

A Japanese woman in her 30s who stayed in the same room with him has also been treated at a hospital after she inhaled smoke, they said.

The fire, which started in a room on the fifth floor of the six-story building, left three others dead -- a Brazilian woman, a Ukrainian man and an American man -- and several injured, according to local media reports.

[khaolakguy]

On 12/30/2024 at 12:39 PM, reader said:

UPDATE

From Bangkok Post

The three victims of the hotel fire near Khao San Road in Bangkok have been identified – including a Brazilian woman whose boyfriend proposed to her last week – as tourism authorities were preparing compensation.

The three who perished in the blaze at The Ember Hotel on Tanee Road near Khao San Road late Sunday night were identified as a 24-year-old Brazilian woman, Pimentel Canales Albuquerque, a 27-year-old Ukrainian man, Tuzov Victor, and a 35-year-old American man, Freeman Timothy Jr.

The woman died in the room where the fire is believed to have started. The two men were pronounced dead at Vajira Hospital and Samitivej Chinatown Hospital.

 

 

Seven people were injured, including an electrician at the hotel, Sorawut Liewhamai, and two Netherlanders, Marvin Holtkamp and Nadine Hueftlein.

The Bangkok governor said the hotel had been developed by the modification of 11 connected commercial building units covering a combined area of 1,515 square metres.

The hotel opened in April 2022. There were two fire exits and sufficient fire extinguishers, but no sprinkler system because it was a small hotel that was not required to have such equipment, he said.

Amorn Pimanmas, president of the Thailand Structural Engineers Association, said the fire likely started in the bed in Room 511 because its mattress was completely burnt and only coil springs were left. The structure of the hotel was intact, he said.

It was reported that three Korean men had stayed in Room 511, but they were not there when the fire broke out.

A hotel staff member rushed to the room at the sound of the fire alarm. When the employee opened the door, black smoke quickly billowed out.

Detectives were looking for the Korean men to question them about the possible cause of the fire.

Natthriya Thaweevong, permanent secretary for tourism and sports, said the government would pay 1 million baht in compensation for each death case and 500,000 baht for each injury case.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2929935/bangkok-hotel-fire-victims-identified-compensation-prepared

Although the hotel because of it's small size was not required to have sprinklers it surely should have had smoke detectors. We are now learning that causes of death were due to smoke inhalation.