CHAIYAPHUM: A bed-ridden 82-year-old woman and a man were rescued from a building on fire in Muang district of this central northeastern province on Sunday morning.
Pol Capt Aswin Promnok, a Muang police duty officer, said the fire broke out about 6.45am at a four-storey commercial building in tambon Nai Muang.
The fire started at the back of the building and spread quickly to the upper floors. Fire engines were dispatched from the Muang Chaiyaphum Municipality to combat the fire.
When the firefighters arrived, two people -- a man and an 82-year-old woman -- were trapped on the fourth floor. The woman was sick and bed-ridden.
While water was sprayed to douse the fire from the base of the building, firefighters went up to the fourth floor via a crane. They cut open the iron grille of a room and successfully helped the two people out to safety.
The woman, identified as Chantra Khunratanasiri, was rushed to Chaiyaphum Hospital for examination.
The fire was brought under control in two hours.
Suchin Khunratanasiri, 49, the owner of the building and son of Mrs Chantra, said the fire started in a store room on the first floor. He tried to go upstairs to help his mother but could not do so as the building was already in flames.
Pol Capt Aswin said an investigation was underway to establish the cause of the fire. The damage had yet to be assessed, but was believed to be in the millions of baht, as the building was used to store merchandise.