Bangkok, The Forensic Science Department investigated the house where the fire started in the Trok Pho community in the Yaowarat area. Initial assumptions are that the cause was incense and candles being lit to worship Buddha. Meanwhile, the Bangkok governor confirmed that there were enough red water pipes and fire extinguishers in the community, but the fire spread so quickly that it was too late to control. Pol. Lt. Gen. Trairong Phiwpaen, Commander of the Police Forensic Science Division, revealed after inspecting the scene of the fire in the Trok Pho community in Yaowarat, especially the house believed to be the origin of the fire, that officers had already inspected the scene. The house where the fire started was a rental house for people working in Yaowarat. The fire likely started on the second floor of the building, where officers found completely burned items or items that were more burnt than those on the first floor and other areas. This is consistent with the testimony of witnesses who live in t he building believed to be the origin of the fire, along with a video clip that was taken showing flames on the second floor of the house. Initially, officers found a Buddha shelf and Buddha statues in the room where the incident occurred, which could have been the cause of the fire from the lighting of incense sticks and candles to worship the Buddha. Therefore, they collected the evidence for forensic examination. However, they have not ruled out an electrical short circuit because in the room where the fire started, electrical appliances, electrical wires, and a portable air conditioner were found, even though they were not plugged in at the time of the incident. No short circuits were found. However, officers will collect all electrical appliances for detailed examination in the laboratory to examine the internal circuits. As for whether or not it was arson, officers initially did not find oil stains, gas, or flammable accelerators, and no signs of an explosion. Shelter centers are still full - the area is open for donations. At Wat Sampanthawong, a temporary shelter for people whose homes were burned down, there are currently about 80 affected people living in this shelter out of the 129 people who registered because some have dispersed and returned to sleep at relatives' houses. From a survey, the people living in this shelter are Thai, Burmese, Lao, and Cambodian. One of the victims said that when he heard people say there was a fire, the only things he could grab were towels and pants. After the incident, he went to check on the house and found that all valuables, electrical appliances, and furniture inside the house were damaged. For now, he has to stay at a shelter because he still can't find a room because all the rooms in Yaowarat are full and expensive. While Mr. Wallop Kietworasrikul, Director of Sampanthawong District, revealed that the latest flood victims have registered more than 300 people, most of whom are foreigners who rent rooms to live in, and a number of them are Thai homeowners who l ive there themselves. As for the damage information, it was found that 39 houses were completely damaged, 10 houses in the community were partially damaged, and some were burned outside the community, which were shophouses and parts of hotels. It is expected that tomorrow (July 9), the area will be open for flood victims to inspect their properties, but he insisted that the area where the fire occurred must be completely extinguished for the safety of the people themselves. However, for the part of opening the center for victims to register, registration will be accepted until Wednesday, July 10, to summarize the number of victims and forward them to the agencies for further relief. Because the survey yesterday found 131 people in the center, today more than 60 people have gone to live with relatives and have been able to find temporary housing elsewhere, leaving only one shelter at Wat Sampanthawong. The latest is that the Samphanthawong District Office announced on its Facebook page that the Samphanthawon g District is accepting donations for disaster victims on July 8, 2024. They are accepting only cash (no transfers in any case, and there is no account for transfers. Please be careful of imposters). At this time, there are enough items, food, and drinking water to meet the needs. The Bangkok governor confirmed that there are enough red water pipes around the community. Mr. Chadchart Sittipunt, the Bangkok governor, revealed after visiting the disaster relief center that the initial relief assistance for the victims will be divided into two parts. If the owner of the house or building is compensated for the damage, the tenant will be compensated for two months' rent. What needs to be done urgently now is to find new places for the victims, most of whom are rented rooms, as well as assess the damage at the scene, both in the Trok Pho community and in the shophouses. As for the criticism about whether the number of red lights is sufficient, it can be confirmed that in this case, the Trok Pho community has en ough lights at 3 locations: one directly in the community, another at Soi Yaowarat 7, and another near the intersection. It can be confirmed that there are definitely enough red lights at these locations. The fire trucks arrived within 6 minutes, but when the hoses were plugged in and about to spray, the house structure collapsed first, making it difficult to reach the scene. While Bangkok as a whole had 25,000 red points when he was governor and encountered the fire at Bon Kai, it was analyzed that there were still 258 red water points that needed to be added. Currently, a contract is being signed with the Metropolitan Electricity Authority. Currently, the first 40 points are being started. As for the red fire extinguishers, there are 20 in this community. Three of them have been used at the scene, but it is expected that the fire spread very quickly, causing the red fire extinguishers to be unable to contain it. At the same time, the BMA has a plan to add another 37,000 red fire extinguishers throughout B angkok within 4 months, which will be added to the communities. There will also be an assessment of another 256 communities with difficult to enter and exit alleys, which are narrow. Fire extinguishing equipment may need to be adjusted to be consistent with the community. Importantly, the BMA has a project to train fire escapes in communities. This year, training has been conducted in 370 places, including the Trok Pho community, which received training at the beginning of 2014. This may be one reason why there were not many injuries because they knew the escape route quickly. In the future, fire extinguishing equipment may be developed to be more compact. Coordination of power outages may need to be improved and discussed in more detail to make operators more confident. As for concerns about whether the fire incident will affect the tourism image, Governor Chadchart said that on the other hand, this incident reflects that there was good preparation and good management of assistance for the victims. The next day, Yaowarat was able to open normally. In this case, he believes that no one wants it to happen. There are some things that are seen as flaws, but he believes that the preparation is no less than anyone else's. There is a systematic response, which should be one point that creates confidence. Source: Thai News Agency