Fire destroys workers’ camp in Thalang, displacing more than 500
A late-night fire destroyed a workers’ camp in Srisoonthorn, Thalang, displacing more than 500 workers and injuring three people.
A fire destroyed a large workers’ camp in Srisoonthorn, Thalang late at night, forcing more than 500 workers to flee and injuring three people, police said.
Thalang Police said they were notified of the fire at 11:59pm at a workers’ dormitory operated by NDCM, under the Christiani & Nielsen Co Ltd group, in Moo 4, Srisoonthorn, opposite the Bang Jo Water Treatment Plant. Pol Lt Kriengkrai Daokrachai, a deputy investigator at Thalang Police Station, went to the scene with other police officers, firefighters and rescue personnel from Srisoonthorn Municipality, Cherng Talay Municipality and the Cherng Talay Tambon Administrative Organisation.
According to police, the blaze engulfed a workers’ camp of about one rai containing around 10 buildings behind a corrugated iron fence and close to nearby homes. Witnesses reported flames, thick black smoke and intermittent explosions as the fire spread rapidly.
Firefighters used seven water hoses and a fleet of 10 fire engines and water tankers, taking more than an hour to bring the blaze under control.
Police initially reported no deaths. Three people were injured. Displaced workers were moved to temporary shelters at Wat Cherng Talay, Wat Manik and Samnak Pathipatham Luang Pho Sompharong, with authorities dividing evacuees into groups of about 160 to 170 people at each site.
Investigators initially suspect an electrical short circuit, but the cause has not been confirmed. Phuket Provincial Police Forensic Science Division has been asked to inspect the scene. Authorities have not yet released a damage estimate or announced compensation measures.
