January 9th,
By Newsdesk - Bangkok, Thailand

A fire broke out at the old Tokyu Department Store and the entire, unfinished 30-storey adjacent skyscraper at Ratchadaphisek Road (Bangkok) causing inconvenience to early morning commuters.

The fire began at 4 AM this morning and was subdued at 6 AM. Renovations left large amounts of flammable objects in the building causing the blaze to spread quickly through the structure and fueled the flames as fire fighters sprayed water. The fire temporarily impaired traffic on the road.

Deputy Governor of Bangkok Wallop Suwandee (วัลลภ สุวรรณดี) revealed that a fire broke out at the original Tokyu building located across from Robinson Department Store Racthadapisek. The building was being renovated after being abandoned for many years. Tokyu used to be a vibrant department store and office building.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire but initial theories attribute the flames to standard hazards in the construction area. City officials are also inspecting the building’s damage to deem if it is still safe.

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) Governor Apirak Kosayothin revealed that authorities have inspected the Tokyu building which recently experienced a fire. The 53 story building was swamped with damage from its 10th to 52nd floor. [PRD]

The building locates at the Ratchadaphisek Road intersection which is a major commuter route of Bangkok. The fire forced the police to close several road sections in nearby areas.[XINHUA] 

Police closed the section of the road from Rama IX Intersection to Huay Kwang Intersection, leading to traffic snarls in the area. The road was opened at about 6 am to try to alleviate the congestion. [The Nation] 

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