PATTAYA, Thailand – Panic swept through central Pattaya on Thursday night after a major fire broke out on the rooftop of a fully occupied hotel along Pattaya Third Road, forcing a chaotic mass evacuation of tourists and leaving at least four people injured, including one man severely burned after running through flames to escape.
Emergency responders were alerted at approximately 9:36 p.m. on May 21 after reports of a rapidly spreading blaze engulfing the rooftop area of the J.A. Plus Hotel. Thick smoke quickly poured through the building as terrified guests, many of them foreign tourists, rushed for exits while firefighters battled the intense flames above.
Fire crews from Pattaya City, supported by police, rescue volunteers, and district officials, launched a large-scale emergency operation to evacuate guests from the packed hotel, which reportedly had all 178 rooms occupied at the time of the incident. Witnesses described scenes of confusion and fear as guests fled through smoke-filled corridors while rescue teams searched floor by floor for anyone trapped inside.
Authorities said the fire was concentrated on the rooftop level and spread rapidly before staff could contain it with extinguishers. The situation became especially tense around the upper floors, including the seventh floor, where several injured guests were reportedly found suffering from smoke inhalation.
Four injuries were initially confirmed. Two Thai women and an Indonesian boy were treated for smoke inhalation, while a Thai man sustained burns over approximately 20 percent of his body after reportedly running through flames in an attempt to escape. Rescue workers and medical teams rushed all four victims to nearby hospitals for treatment. By around 10 p.m. firefighters had managed to bring the blaze under control, preventing it from spreading deeper into the hotel structure and guest rooms below. Emergency crews continued searching the building amid concerns that additional guests may still have been unaccounted for during the evacuation.
Former Pattaya mayor Poramet Ngampichet was also seen at the scene assisting officials and coordinating support efforts despite his term officially ending earlier that day. Authorities later confirmed the fire had been fully controlled after threatening to spread from the rooftop into occupied accommodation areas. Initial reports said three people were injured, though later emergency updates placed the number at four as rescue operations continued through the night. Authorities are now investigating the cause of the fire, while structural safety inspections and further damage assessments are expected to continue through the night.
