KALASIN: A man died in a fire that destroyed a wooden hut near the house where funeral rites were being held for his mother, at a village in Muang district on Tuesday night, police said.
Pol Lt Col Nopparat Luangsana, duty officer at Muang police station, said the dead man was Sai Seema, aged 50.
Sai's mother had died the previous day and her cremation was scheduled for Wednesday.
Funeral rites were being held at her home in Ban Nong Bua village in tambon Phon Thong.
Neighbours told police they saw Sai sitting apart from everyone else and drinking alone, He suddenly stood up, said he was going to buy some petrol and walked off to a grocery store in the village.
Shortly afterwards a fire broke out in a wooden hut near the house where the funeral was being held. The flames quickly engulfed the entire hut. They called police.
Firefighters arrived and put out the fire in about 20 minutes. Sai's charred body was found in the ruins of the hut. A petrol can and a beer bottle were near the body.
It was believed Sai set himself on fire using the petrol and the flames spread to the hut.
The neighbours said that Sai had appeared stressed out after his mother died, and drank heavily.
Police were investigating.