PATTAYA – Provincial Electrify Authority employees will be stationed around Walking Street on weekends to monitor power use following a massive fire that destroyed two bars and injured two people.
Regional PEA chief Chartchai Pumrin and Pattaya office head Nirtuh Charoenchop toured the fire-ravaged area behind the Marine Plaza hotel March 11, meeting with owners of bars and businesses damaged by the blaze the night before.
Niruth said the PEA takes full responsivity for the fire, which left one foreigner with minor burns and a Thai woman suffering from smoke inhalation, as it was the utility’s newly-installed transformer that exploded around 11 p.m., causing flames to spread to two bars, 17 motorbikes and several shops across the street.
He called the explosion “strange”, as the equipment was brand new. The point of the day’s investigation was to try and determine if the power unit exploded due to faulty workmanship or a manufacturing defect.
Meeting with business owners, he encouraged them to file a formal complaint with Pattaya police, listing all their damaged property, as the first step toward obtaining compensation.
The transformer was the fourth to explode in the Walking Street area in recent years, according to Pattaya-area officials. As a result, Niruth said the PEA will station staffers around the busy nightlife area on weekends to monitor power use and keep an eye on transformers during the busiest tourist days.
