PATTAYA, Thailand – A 14-year-old girl helped save her five-year-old brother and 96-year-old grandmother after hearing what sounded like an explosion and discovering a neighboring townhouse engulfed in flames in Pattaya late Sunday night. Pattaya disaster prevention officials were alerted to the fire at about 10:30 p.m. on September 6 at a townhouse in Suphamit Village on Soi Bongkot, South Pattaya.
The fire broke out at house No. 413/123 in a densely packed row of more than 50 adjoining townhouses. Flames were burning intensely inside the property and had spread to the roof, prompting firefighters to quickly deploy three fire engines to the scene. Neighbors also rushed to help residents in nearby homes move pets to safety as the flames threatened surrounding properties. Firefighters brought the blaze under control after about 30 minutes. No injuries were reported.
The 14-year-old girl, who lived in a nearby house, said she had been in her room with her five-year-old brother when she heard a sound resembling an explosion. She went outside to investigate and saw the neighboring house on fire. She immediately took her younger brother and her 96-year-old grandmother, Thongsai Thongree, out of the house to safety. She then asked neighbors to help rescue six Persian cats, including a mother cat and her kittens.
Her grandmother was reportedly frightened by the incident but was safely evacuated. The owner of the fire-damaged house, 46-year-old Phimphat Wright, said nobody was home when the fire started. She had gone to work, while her foreign partner had gone out exercising. After being informed of the fire, she rushed back home and managed to remove two dogs from the property. However, the flames had already become too intense for her to retrieve any other belongings.
Firefighters eventually extinguished and contained the blaze, while investigators from Pattaya City Police were called to examine the scene and collect evidence. The cause of the fire had not been determined and remained under investigation.
