NONG BUA LAMPHU — 12 August 2026, A 68-year-old man was found dead inside a charcoal kiln after he was believed to have inhaled toxic smoke while crawling inside to collect charcoal that was still smouldering. His body was burned down to only a small amount of bone, making identification difficult.
Pol. Lt. Col. Songkran Kanesuk, a deputy investigation inspector at Mueang Nong Bua Lamphu Police Station, was notified that human bones had been found burned inside a charcoal kiln in a rice field about 3 kilometres from a village.
He coordinated with an on-duty doctor from Nong Bua Lamphu Hospital and the Khuntham Nong Bua Lamphu rescue team to inspect the scene.
The incident took place in the area of Ban Nong Saeng, Moo 8, Hua Na subdistrict, Mueang district, Nong Bua Lamphu province.
Police found a large charcoal kiln measuring about 3 metres in diameter. Its opening was about 60 centimetres wide and 80 centimetres high, large enough for a person to crawl inside.
Parts of the kiln had been broken open, except around the entrance. Village headman Saiyan said villagers had broken open the structure so they could spray water inside and put out the flames.
Rescue workers used lights and hoes to search inside the kiln. They recovered a small amount of white bone fragments and placed them in a cloth. Most of the remains were tiny and badly fragmented.
The man who discovered the remains was identified as 27-year-old Thawatchai Hueangsri, the grandson of 68-year-old Veera Dana, who owned the rice field and charcoal kiln.
Thawatchai told investigators that Veera normally stayed overnight in the rice field and only occasionally returned home when he had errands to attend to.
Thawatchai said he last saw his grandfather that morning when Veera came home and asked him to buy painkillers because he was suffering from pain in his legs due to his age.
Veera left home at about 07:00, telling his grandson that he planned to open the kiln and take out charcoal to sell. He then disappeared.
At about 19:00, Veera’s younger brother went to the family home looking for him. Thawatchai was asked to go to the rice field and bring his grandfather back to meet his brother in the village.
When Thawatchai arrived, he searched the area and called out for Veera but received no response. His bicycle and personal belongings were still there, but Veera was nowhere to be found.
He then looked inside the charcoal kiln and saw that its entrance had been opened, with signs that someone had already removed some charcoal. However, flames were still burning inside.
Thawatchai said he shone a light into the kiln and saw what appeared to be a human hip bone. A stainless-steel basin about 30 centimetres in diameter was lying nearby.
He immediately suspected that the remains belonged to his grandfather because Veera had told him he would be opening the kiln that day.
Thawatchai alerted relatives and village authorities, who contacted police. Villagers then helped break open the kiln and spray water inside to extinguish the fire. They found that the body had been almost completely burned, leaving only a small number of white bone fragments.
Relatives and villagers told police they believed the remains were those of Veera because several of his belongings, including a shoulder bag, mobile phone and amulets, had been left near the kiln opening. The items had been damaged and distorted by the heat but could still be recognised as belongings Veera regularly used.
Investigators also questioned relatives and villagers about whether Veera had any conflicts or disputes with anyone that could have led to him being killed and placed inside the kiln.
His family and neighbours said Veera rarely socialised with others. He spent most of his time raising cattle and buffalo and making charcoal at the rice field. His livestock were all still there and nothing appeared to have been stolen or damaged.
They believed Veera had entered the kiln to remove charcoal for sale but found that the fire had not been fully extinguished.
He may have taken a basin of water inside to dampen the remaining embers before removing the charcoal. As water was poured over the smouldering fire, smoke and ash could have been released suddenly, potentially causing him to inhale toxic fumes and lose consciousness inside the kiln.
No one was present to see what happened. Once the kiln entrance had been opened, oxygen may have reached the remaining embers, causing the fire to flare up again and burn the body for several hours.
The fire could have destroyed the body almost entirely had Thawatchai not arrived when he did.
The doctor who attended the scene questioned Veera’s daughter and grandson about his medical history. They said he had only received treatment at Nong Bua Lamphu Hospital once, after being bitten by a dog, and had no known underlying medical conditions.
Village headman Saiyan said Veera had previously joined the Communist Party of Thailand and spent several years living in the forest during armed conflict before later becoming involved in the government programme for former communist combatants.
He was physically fit and had experience walking through mountains and climbing cliffs, which meant he was comfortable staying alone at a field hut for long periods.
Veera’s eldest daughter, 42-year-old Saita Dana, told reporters that the family had no warning that anything was wrong.
She said her children had repeatedly urged their father to stop raising buffalo and making charcoal because he was getting older and they were worried about him staying alone in the rice field.
“He would not stop. He never listened when anyone told him to,” she said.
A local resident said Veera was a professional charcoal maker who had been doing the work for many years. Nobody expected that he would eventually die inside his own charcoal kiln.
Police and the on-duty doctor later asked Veera’s relatives whether they had any doubts about the cause of death. The family said they had no objections or suspicions.
The rescue team therefore handed the small amount of bone recovered from the kiln, wrapped in white cloth, to the family so it could be taken for religious rites.
Officials noted that had the family raised objections, establishing the man’s identity would have been extremely difficult because only a very small amount of fragmented bone was recovered.
