Owner of gutted store badly under-insured
A fire vehicle sits in front of the Api Plaza department store in Chiang Rai’s Muang district as firefighters battle the blaze that broke out at the three-storey building on Wednesday night. It caused damage estimated at Bt100 million.
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Police said yesterday they suspect a major fire that badly damaged a three-storey department store in Chiang Rai town on Wednesday night was caused by a short circuit.
Damage was initially estimated at Bt100 million. But the premises was reportedly only covered by an insurance policy worth Bt5 million.The fire at Api Plaza department store started after closing time at 9.30pm. About 50 fire engines and 300 firemen hurried to extinguish the flames as strong wind gusts threatened to burn down the mall and spread to the nearby four-storey Krung Thong Hotel. The fire was eventually contained just after midnight. About 100 guests were evacuated safely from the Krung Thong Hotel, which reported only slight damage. There were no reports of deaths or injuries from the blaze. The department store was sealed off for police investigation and damage and safety assessment. Deputy Superintendent of the Forensic Police Region 32, Lt-Colonel Noppakhun Kiratikankul, said yesterday that police suspected a short circuit as they had found the electric-control switch, main switch and sub-breaker had been automatically cut. However, nothing had been concluded as related evidence needed detailed examination first. Noppakhun said police believed the fire began in a storage loft between the first and second floor and the fire was fuelled by clothes stored there. It then swept through the back of the building, destroying everything. The office at the back of the store had a photo of Their Majesties the King and Queen and a King Rama V statue that were untouched by the flames, while documents around them were burnt. Although the fire caused serious damage, the department store was only insured for Bt5 million. The owners will have to wait for a police ruling before lodging a claim, an informed source said. Seventy-year-old businessman Bundit Apinivet and his family had run the store, situated on a plot of two-rai land leased by the provincial administrative organisation, for more than 20 years. The three-storey building employed over 100 people and had a food centre on the ground floor with the two upper floors selling goods, mostly clothes. Police also ran a background check on the employees as part of the investigation.
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