Homeless suspected as cause of massive Pattaya warehouse fire

September 2, 2020

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The charred remains of the warehouse, the restaurant and part of the apartment building are all that is left after a massive fire ravaged through the buildings on Monday night, Sept. 1.

Police are looking at homeless people living inside a North Pattaya warehouse complex as they try to determine the cause of Tuesday’s fire.

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Investigators from Police Forensic Science Center 2 and Pattaya officers interviewed witnesses and scoured the site of the Sept. 1 conflagration that took more than six hours to extinguish.

Pol. Col. Khemmarin Pissamai – Superintendent of Pattaya Police Station, investigates the scene of the massive fire with Police Forensic Science Center 2 officials.

Satit Eimsumang, co-owner of Pattaya Car Wash, said he and his wife were sleeping in a shop behind the restaurant when they were awakened by noise coming from the fire. The ceiling collapsed shortly after.

He said he had complained about the abandoned restaurant many times over the past two years, saying he was afraid of fire as the structures and contents were all wooden and nearby electricity poles were enmeshed with tangled wires and tree branches.

The 43-year-old said homeless people often camped out inside the closed restaurant.

Pattaya’s police chief, Pol. Col. Khemmarin Pissamai said the owner of the closed restaurant could not be reached. Police would not speculate on the cause of the fire until the forensic examination is complete.