CHACHOENGSAO — A heroic neighbor climbed across apartment balconies to rescue a sleeping South African teacher after spotting flames erupting from his third-floor room in Chachoengsao province.
Police from Mueang Chachoengsao Station received reports of a fire at a commercial building offering room rentals in Soi Na Mueang, Na Mueang Sub-district, Mueang Chachoengsao District, around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. Three fire trucks from Chachoengsao Municipality and rescue workers from Chachoengsao Rescue Unit were dispatched to the scene.
Upon arrival, firefighters found flames blazing on a third-floor balcony and deployed hoses to combat the blaze. During the incident, a neighbor attempted to alert the occupant of the burning room but received no response. The man then made the daring decision to climb across the third-floor balcony to reach his neighbor’s unit, where a foreign language teacher resided, and knocked and shouted until the room’s owner finally woke up.
Power Bank Explosion Caused Blaze
Nattharit Nunpradech, a volunteer from Chachoengsao Rescue Unit who documented the incident, said the foreign teacher identified himself as Mr. Budhoo, a 43-year-old South African. At the time of the fire, he was asleep and was startled awake by the neighbor’s calls. Upon seeing the flames on his balcony, he rushed to fetch water to extinguish the fire.
Firefighters and rescue personnel subsequently inspected the building’s rooftop area around the fire’s origin to prevent the flames from spreading further. They discovered melted plastic debris in a dustpan.
The foreign teacher explained that the fire was caused by a damaged power bank he had discarded in the trash bin along with other waste and paper scraps. He hadn’t anticipated that the power bank would swell and explode, creating sparks that ignited the surrounding materials.
Officials believe the power bank exploded after being exposed to direct sunlight in the garbage container for several days, causing the internal battery to swell until it eventually exploded and caught fire.
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