PATHUM THANI, Thailand – A hybrid car caught fire after being left charging overnight outside a townhouse in Pathum Thani, sending thick smoke pouring from the vehicle and raising fears the flames could spread to the home, August 15. The incident occurred at a housing estate in Khlong Sam subdistrict, Khlong Luang district, where firefighters from the Khlong Sam Subdistrict Administrative Organisation were called to reports of a car fire.
The vehicle, a white sedan, was parked outside a two-storey townhouse when smoke began billowing from inside the cabin. Firefighters quickly connected their hoses and worked to prevent the flames from spreading to neighboring areas. The blaze took about an hour to bring under control. An inspection found that the driver’s compartment had been severely damaged by fire.
The 36-year-old owner, identified as Phawatkul, said he arrived home at around 10 p.m. and plugged the car in to charge before going upstairs to sleep. At about 8 a.m., a security guard rang the doorbell to alert him after noticing smoke coming from the vehicle.
The owner rushed downstairs, unplugged the charger and went to get the car keys. When he opened the vehicle, a large amount of smoke suddenly poured from the cabin. He initially suspected the fire may have been linked to overheating of the hybrid battery, but the exact cause remains unknown. It has not yet been established whether the battery had deteriorated or whether there was a fault in the vehicle’s electrical system. The owner said the vehicle’s display had shown no warning message or error signal before the incident.
He said he considered the outcome fortunate because the fire could have spread to the townhouse and caused much greater damage. His quick response and the arrival of firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading beyond the vehicle. The car was bought second-hand for slightly more than 1 million baht. He had owned it for about two years, while the vehicle’s total age, including its previous period of use, is estimated at around four years.
The owner has since notified his insurer, with the vehicle covered by comprehensive first-class insurance. The insurance company has already contacted him and begun handling the case.
He said he had yet to contact the vehicle’s service centre because the incident occurred outside business hours. The centre will need to inspect the vehicle to help determine the cause and assess the damage.
The owner said he was now reluctant to drive the vehicle again, despite having maintained it carefully and taken it for annual servicing and scheduled inspections. He said he had believed the vehicle’s systems would provide a warning if there were problems involving the hybrid battery or related components. The absence of any warning before the fire has left him uncertain about what caused the incident. (TNA)
