PATHUM THANI - A 43-year-old woman and her three sons died in a fire that raced through their townhouse in Lam Luk Ka district early on Wednesday.
The blaze gutted the two-storey townhouse at Pruksa 7 housing estate in tambon Lam Luk Ka, said Pol Lt Col Veerawat Niyomsap, chief investigator at Lam Luk Ka.
The fire reportedly began about 5am on the first floor and spread quickly to the upper floor, fuelled by stacks of second-hand clothing.
Six trucks and crews took more than an hour to put it out.
Four people were found dead near the metal grilled door to their bedroom on the second floor. They were identified later as house owner Benyathip Jiracharoencharatsakul, 43, and her three sons, Kittipong Runghiranruengchot, 14, Kittithanet, 11 and Kittisak, 7, Thai media reported.
A neighbour, Suwanna Hothai, 46, said she was woken up by a loud bang. On investigating she saw a fire spreading rapidly through the house opposite.
The flames were spreading quickly. The owner was a clothes vendor at the local market and the flames were feeding on the sacks of second-hand clothing.
People trapped inside the house were shouting for help. They were unable to escape as the house was fitted with iron bars against thieves, reports said.
She called to other neighbours to help fight the fire, but their efforts were in vain so they called a local fire brigade.
Police were investigating the cause of the fire
Video clip by rescue volunteer Natthaporn Thongkesorn Facebook page