Two people were trapped and killed by a fire that gutted a six-storey commercial building in Muang district of Samut Sakhon province on Wednesday morning.
The fire, in a building housing a wholesale electronics business, was reported to Bang Nam Chuet police around 5am, Lt Col Phuwarit Paladcha, a deputy chief investigator, said.
Witnesses reported hearing two explosions before seeing smoke rising from the building, he said.
Twenty fire engines from tambon Bang Nam Chuet and nearby municipalities, accompanied by rescue teams, were dispatched to the scene. It took them six hours to bring the blaze under control and by then it had spread to five neighbouring storefronts, including a diesel service centre.
One firefighter was electrocuted while attempting to extinguish the flames from a lift. He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
Two bodies were found in the burnt ruins of the building - 73-year-old Wasan Vityanulak and 69-year-old Apapan Vityanulak. One was in the kitchen on the third floor and the other on the staircase leading to the roof.
The couple had been living in the building while running their electronics business.
The damage from the fire was estimated at more than 20 million baht, Lt Col Phuwarit said. Police were investigating the cause.