The first fire was reported to Maj Tada Sodarat of the Chalong Police at 6.30am today (Feb 15) at a warehouse in Soi Anusorn in Chalong.
Two fire engines from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Chalong office together with Maj Tada and Capt Panu Siripopat also of the Chalong Police arrived at the scene to find heavy smoke spread across the area.
Firefighters took 40 minutes to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to neighbouring properties.
No injures or deaths were reported.
Capt Panu said, “The warehouse had been turned into a garage. However, the garage was not in operation. There were many tyres and vehicle parts inside the warehouse so the fire spread very quickly.
“The cost of damage to the warehouse is estimated at about B100,000. We are continuing our investigation with the Phuket Forensic Police to find the cause of fire as the electric had been shut off before” Capt Panu added.
The second fire happened at a house on Wichit Songkram Rd in Phuket Town and it was reported to Phuket City Police that the fire had started in the kitchen.
Firefighters took 15 mins to control the fire.
Police found that the fire started when the owner of the property left a cooking pot unattended on a gas stove.
The third fire, near the Komarapat Intersection on Thepkrasattri Rd in Phuket Town, was reported to Capt Surachart Thongyai of the Phuket City Police at 11am today.
Police led by Lt Col Teerawat Leamsuwan and Capt Surachart arrived at the scene to find the road had been blocked to all traffic so that eight fire engines from the DDPM-Phuket office, Phuket City Municipality and Rassada Municipality could tackle the blaze which had engulfed four shop units.
It has been reported that fire started in the ‘Sri Sawat’ cushion shop but spread to the adjacent two-unit ‘Nonthep’ motorbike repair shop and ‘Chumchon Kosana’ print shop.
It took firefighters over 45 minutes to out the blaze.
Chaowalit Kansuwan, 57, the owner of the ‘Sri Sawat’ Cushion shop told the Phuket News, “I lit some candles and incense sticks inside the shop to worship our ancestors on Chinese New Year. I then locked the shop and went out.”
Police are investigating to find the true cause of the fire but at this stage they believe it was started by the candles.