Bangkok City officials are checking fire safety measures at all hotels, malls and entertainment venues in the capital, in an effort to prevent a repeat of the fatal fire in a hotel in the Khao San area on Sunday, which left three foreign nationals dead and seven injured.
Bangkok Permanent Secretary Wantanee Wattana said that officials in all Bangkok’s 50 districts have been ordered to check fire safety measures, such as emergency lighting systems, smoke and fire alarm systems, fire exists and fire extinguishers.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt pointed out that the law on fire safety measures for hotels with fewer than 80 rooms is not as tough as that applied to larger hotels.
Meanwhile, Tourism and Sports Permanent Secretary Natthriya Thaweevong said that the families of the three who died will receive compensation of one million baht each, while the seven injured will each receive about 500,000 baht.
One of the survivors of the fire on Sunday, an American identified as Jeffrey Johnson, told Thai PBS that he escaped by running to the rooftop deck, like several other hotel guests.
All were rescued by firefighters. Some guests jumped to the ground floor from their rooms and sustained injuries.
He said that he was shaken after the fire, but has now regained his confidence and will stay in Bangkok to celebrate the New Year.
