TAK — A fire broke out at workers’ accommodation and spread to a garment factory in central Mae Sot on Sunday morning, forcing more than 70 Myanmar workers to flee. One person was injured.
Pol Col Rang Daodueng, superintendent of Mae Sot Police Station, was notified of the fire at about 09:00 on 4 October. The blaze occurred at a garment factory and adjoining workers’ accommodation near Mae Sot Hospital in the Wat Luang community of Mae Sot municipality.
Mae Sot district chief Kanphong Pipatmontrikul and Mae Sot Mayor Kul Kruewira went to the scene along with other officials. More than 10 fire engines from Mae Sot municipality and neighbouring areas were deployed to fight the blaze.
The fire occurred in an old wooden-house trading area in central Mae Sot, a densely populated community where buildings stand close together.
Officials said the fire began in a row of more than 10 single-storey workers’ rooms adjoining the garment factory. Flames rapidly engulfed the old wooden structures, sending thick black smoke into the sky that could be seen across the Thai-Myanmar border area.
Strong winds later worsened the situation, pushing the fire from the workers’ accommodation into the garment factory, where large quantities of fabric were stored.
More than 70 Myanmar workers, both men and women, were working inside the factory at the time. They rushed to escape as smoke and flames spread through the building, causing panic at the scene.
Firefighters from several local authorities used around 10 fire engines to prevent the blaze from spreading to nearby homes and shops selling old wooden houses. It took more than an hour to bring the fire under control.
After the fire was extinguished, officials found that one worker had suffered a burn injury to the upper arm. No deaths were reported.
The garment factory was destroyed, while more than 10 workers’ rooms were severely damaged by the fire.
Ma Ae, 25, a worker at the garment factory who witnessed the incident, said she and many of her colleagues had been sewing clothes as usual when the fire broke out. Several other workers were preparing breakfast in rooms behind the factory.
She said a worker suddenly shouted that there was a fire. She and her colleagues tried to carry out whatever belongings they could before fleeing as the flames rapidly spread through the factory.
They managed to escape through a fire exit.
Mae Sot police said investigators were initially considering several possible causes, including a cooking fire that may not have been fully extinguished, an electrical short circuit, or another cause.
Police have sealed off the scene and coordinated with forensic officers in Tak province to inspect the damage and determine the exact cause of the fire.