Prime Minister rushes to inspect "Khlong Thom Center" after fire, says situation is now under control, warns public to beware of chemical smoke and to keep watch over remaining goods, urges people not to add to the suffering of those in distress; project manager insists fire prevention system had no problems.
On 29 August, at Khlong Thom Center in the Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, visited the scene to follow up on the situation following the fire at Khlong Thom Center market on the evening of 28 August. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, as well as the project manager of Khlong Thom Center, also attended the site inspection. The Prime Minister encouraged those present, reinforced instructions to officials, and spoke with members of the public in the area.
After following up on the situation inside the scene of the incident, the Prime Minister said that the fire is now under control, but there are still some hotspots where water cannot yet be sprayed directly inside, so backhoes must be used to clear a path for officials to spray water in. There is no need to worry about a re-ignition, as water is being continuously sprayed to suppress any flare-ups. However, the current concern is smoke and air quality, which requires an urgent and maximum effort to spray water. He also asked the public that if it is not necessary, they should not yet enter this area, and if they do enter, they should wear a face mask, as the smoke may originate from chemicals burning inside, which are hazardous to health.
Anutin said that regarding relief and prevention, the Bangkok Governor had taken action since the previous night, successfully containing the fire and preventing it from spreading to other residential properties. Those who were injured have already received treatment, and the critically injured are now out of danger. As for goods that remain inside the building and are still in good condition, he has instructed police to keep watch and guard against theft. Anyone caught committing an offence will be prosecuted immediately. He also pleaded with people not to do such a thing, because right now the vendors and the market owners are already suffering and unable to conduct their business. The market owner said there will likely be no more Khlong Thom, as a major fire has occurred and the building has collapsed — and he offered his moral support, noting that Khlong Thom Center is a large market where ordinary people come to shop comfortably, the quality of goods is good, and the building structure has insurance coverage, so the vendors' losses should be compensated through insurance. It is ultimately up to the market owner and business owners to decide what they will do going forward. He also praised the Bangkok Governor and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation for immediately taking control of the situation, because had they not acted swiftly, the fire could have spread far more widely.
