Firefighters from Pong Municipality Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department were notified on the evening of August 6 that a warehouse in Baan Khlong Yai was burning out of control.
By the time the firefighters arrived, the warehouse was engulfed in flames. Doing the best they could, they brought the fire under control after some time, but unfortunately, there was nothing left to be salvaged.
Pattaya businessman Chaowarit Kongsil, 49, said his warehouse stored spare parts and used goods which were processed and recycled for sale.
He said that up until last year his business was doing well and he made enough money to get by. “When the Covid-19 pandemic struck early last year, my business slowed down drastically. For over a year, I tried to get by with as little as I could earn. But wave after wave of the virus kept coming. This brought about more restrictions and lockdowns. There was just no chance to do any business,” he lamented.
Chaowarit had a family to feed and his loyal staff to care for, and he was not going to abandon them. In desperation, he had his workers cut pieces of steel and aluminium from the warehouse structure to sell as scrap metal, just to get enough money to feed his family and staff.
Chaowarit explained how the fire started, “As my staff were using blowtorches to cut the roof beams, sparks flew off the metal onto the flammable substances stored in the warehouse below causing them to burst into flames.
“The fire spread rapidly and in an instant the whole warehouse was burning. The workers fled out of the warehouse knowing very well that they could not control the fire. We are very lucky that no one was hurt.”
A totally dejected Chaowarit said, “My ambition is to work hard, earn an honest living so that my family can have a comfortable life and our children could get a decent education.
“But since early last year the scourge of the Covid-19 pandemic caused the economy to crash, something I have never seen before. I feel really sorry for the millions of people all over the world who see their lives crumbling from riches to rags right in front of their very eyes.”
Looking as depressed as ever, Chaowarit said, “I have lost everything. There is nothing left for me here in Pong. I will pack up everything that I have left and take my family back upcountry to my hometown.”
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