A major lightening storm
swept over Pattaya on Halloween, and at least one bolt struck an
ungrounded radio tower in East Pattaya, causing a fire that gutted the
house under it.
Jetsada Homklin
A Halloween lightning strike to a radio tower set fire to an
East Pattaya home on Soi Khao Talo 15.
Firefighters took about 30 minutes to contain the blaze at the
single-story home around 3:30 p.m. Oct. 31. No one was at home at the
time and a damage estimate was unavailable, although the house was
gutted.
The fire apparently began when a bolt of lightning struck a 5-meter-tall
radio antenna wired into the house. Witness Jakkrit Malisorn, 41, said
he heard a loud crack and saw sparks running along the cable connecting
the aerial to the home. Some smoke and fire then emerged from inside and
he called for help.
Authorities concluded the antenna had acted as a giant lightning rod,
but was not grounded properly and caused the fire.
