Residents Flee Raging Fire at a Slum in Thailand’s Capital
A massive fire raced through a slum Friday in downtown Bangkok, snarling traffic and spewing black smoke over embassies and five-star hotels in the capital, officials said.
Some residents ran from their homes clutching personal belongings such as television sets, computers and pets.
Chaingam Kiewsaad, 33, was among them. “It’s probably all gone,” she said, sobbing. “I couldn’t get anything out. Even my car is in there.”
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire, which was reported extinguished in the early evening, was not immediately known.
About 500 houses caught fire in the densely populated Thung Mahamek district, said police official Sompong Buahom. Most were wooden or corrugated steel shacks.
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