Thalang Police 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, Deputy Investigator at Thalang Police Station, responded to the scene along with Thalang Police officers, firefighters and rescue personnel from Srisoonthorn Municipality, Cherng Talay Municipality and the Cherng Talay Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor).
According to police, the fire engulfed the large workers’ camp covering about one rai and comprising around 10 buildings enclosed by a corrugated iron fence. The camp was located close to nearby residential properties.
Witnesses reported seeing flames and thick black smoke billowing from the site, while explosions could be heard intermittently as the blaze spread rapidly through the camp.
More than 500 workers fled the area, many scrambling to save personal belongings as firefighters deployed seven water hoses and a fleet of 10 fire engines and water tankers to battle the blaze.
Firefighters took more than an hour to bring the fire under control.
Police initially reported that no fatalities had occurred, but three people sustained injuries.
Following coordination with the project owner, displaced workers were relocated to three temporary shelters in Cherng Talay: Wat Cherng Talay, Wat Manik and Samnak Pathipatham Luang Pho Sompharong ( (Luang Pho Sompharong meditation centre).
Authorities divided the evacuees into groups of about 160-170 people at each location.
Investigators initially suspect an electrical short circuit may have sparked the fire, though the exact cause has yet to be confirmed.
The Phuket Provincial Police Forensic Science Division has been asked to inspect the scene and determine the origin of the blaze. Authorities have not yet released an assessment of the damage or announced any compensation measures for affected workers.
The investigation remains ongoing, police said.