The World - News from Jan. 3, 1988
Thai police said a carelessly tossed cigarette or a short circuit may have caused the New Year’s Day fire at Bangkok’s First Hotel that killed 13 people, including one American--Daniel James Ryan, 27, of Jacksonville, Ark.--and injured scores more. A spokesman for the Hospital of Forensic Medicine also said the badly charred body of the 13th victim, originally identified by police as male, was a female of unknown nationality. Police arrested one rescue worker on a charge of theft after 14 hotel residents complained of looting after the blaze. The fire started about 4 a.m. in a second-floor room where a New Year’s Eve party was still in progress.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
