Lt Weerayut Suksanguan of the Thalang Police Station was informed of the fire at 11pm on Tuesday (Feb 28).
Police soon arrived at the scene, on Thepkrasattri Rd in Moo 5, Srisoonthorn, along with firefighters on board two fire trucks and supported by two water trucks.
“It took 50 mins to control the fire,” one firefighter said.
“We fought the fire for 20 minutes but strong winds made it difficult. We were afraid that the fire would spread to a metal sheet shop right next to it, so we called in two more fire trucks from Cherng Talay and Pa Khlok as well cherry picker from Thalang Electricity Office,” the firefighter added.
“The tree was more than 100 years old and stood more than 15 metres tall,” another firefighter said.
“The fire started at the base of the tree where there spirit houses were. People lit candles to pray for spirits and wishing for luck to win the lottery for tomorrow,” explained Lt Weerayut.
However, the tree could not be saved. The fire had gutted the core of the trunk, and firefighters later cut the tree down for safety.
Regardless, one hopeful local resident said, “Even though the tree was burnt down, the spirits are still in the spirits houses where they continue to live.”
The wining numbers for the lottery drawn yesterday are:
1st Prize: 978453
First three digits: 450 , 560
Last three digits: 052, 577
Last two digits: 78
The Phuket News has yet to learn if any of the villagers had won.