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.
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.
