Two teams of firefighters responded to a call at 5:40pm and arrived at the scene, in Soi Kingkaew 13, to find thick smoke bellowing from the home and the fire escalating very quickly due to strong wind.
Firefighters took more than 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze and doused the area to prevent the flames from spreading to neighbouring homes, but the fire had already gutted the home.
“The home owner, Mr Suwit Kanin, was at work when the fire broke out,” said Lt Surasak Pipithkulrong of the Phuket City Police.
“His wife, Ms Pornnatcha Bumpen, 42, who is unable to walk, was alone in the home, but local residents told us they had helped her to escape the fire and had taken her to Vachira Hospital for burns to her legs.
“One neighbour told us that he heard three explosions, which sounded like gas cylinders going off, then he saw the fire. That’s when neighbours rushed in to rescue Ms Pornnatcha,” he said.
Police estimate the damage caused by the fire at more than B200,000 and are investigating to determine the cause of the fire.