Among the dead is a 10-year-old boy as firefighters took one and a half hours to put down the large blaze. The four people who died - all of the them workers - were trapped on the third floor of the three-storey building, firefighters say.
A 51-year-old woman who was stuck on the second floor of the building managed to get to safety by jumping to through a window onto the first floor, nearly breaking her leg and hurting her ankle. The man was sent to Vachira Hospital for treatment, according to emergency rescue workers from Kusoldharn Foundation.
Initial reports indicate that the fire may have started because of an electrical short on the first floor and spread throughout the building within minutes, facilitated by the amount of wooden and plastic chairs, tables, and other furniture that was on each floor in the large shop.
An investigation into the blaze is currently under way to determine the exact cause.
Gov. Maitri Inthusut was at the scene at about 9am today (August 2) to survey the damage.
More details to come.
The fire is the biggest in Phuket since the Tiger Bar and Disco complex on Patong's Bangla Rd. took the lives of four people and injured 11 others back in August 2012.
That blaze was initially reported to have started because of an explosion on the electrical transformer just outside the establishment. The owners of the famed club were charged with negligence.