A fire destroyed a popular restaurant along the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya early Friday morning, causing about 15 million baht in damage. There were no casualties.
The fire broke out at The Wine Ayutthaya restaurant in tambon Ban Run of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district around 5am, said Pol Lt Col Kamphon Inseewong, the chief investigator at Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya police station.
More than 10 fire trucks were deployed to the scene. Firefighters saw flames spreading quickly at the four-storey riverside restaurant, standing at about 15 metres high. They raced against time to prevent the fire from reaching two nearby restaurants.
Fire crews took about 50 minutes to bring the blaze under control. The restaurant was badly destroyed. No employees were inside the eatery at the time.
A 38-year-old Myanmar guard at a nearby restaurant reported seeing flames engulfing the front section of the establishment. He immediately alerted staff at his eatery to contact a fire unit.
Khamtan, 51, head of the fire-gutted restaurant’s technical staff, said he rushed to the scene upon learning about the blaze. The structure of the restaurant was made of steel, plywood and PVC sheets, causing the fire to spread quickly, he said.
A fireman sprays water at the burnt structure of the restaurant. (Photo: Ban Krod municipality, Bang Pa-in)
Police were investigating the incident, suspecting an electric short circuit as the possible cause of the fire.
The Wine Ayutthaya posted on its Facebook on Friday that the eatery would be closed indefinitely due to the fire.