Fire at Big C complex - security lacking

[Captain Murgatroyd]

At about 22.15 tonight, a fire broke out at the Big C central shopping complex by soi 2 on second road Pattaya.

I had taken my family to dine at Pizza hut there, and when we had finished our meal, My wife wanted to do a little shopping in the mall. As we arrived there were a number of people rushing out... No security was to be seen on the ground level, and no-one was there at the doors to prevent customers from entering the complex. Also, no alarm was ringing. However, a fire had broken out and the upper floor was visibly filling with smoke. There had been some fireworks set off very close to the complex at about 22.10, presumably by drunken idiots from the bar complex opposite the shopping mall. It is quite possible that these fireworks played a part in the incident. The fire services took some time to appear... it wasn't until about 10.35 that the first emergency vehicle arrived, followed by a fire engine.

 

The practise of selling very large display fireworks indiscriminately to drunken idiots is an unfortunate habit at this time of year. These fireworks should only be used under display conditions, several varieties should be buried halfway into earth or sand before ignition, and a safety radius of at least 25 yards should be established before they can be safely ignited. However these fireworks, are sold to drunks and idiots who have no idea of how to use them safely. They are usually imported from China, so the instructions are not printed in english... not that it seems to matter very much, as no-one seems to even try and read the instructions. When these large fireworks are merely stood up on the uneven road surface of a small sloping soi, often in the narrow space between two rows of bars, and ignited it comes as no suprise that accidents happen. If the firework falls over, it will shoot firebursts down the road into pedestrians, motorcyclists, and drivers, often causing secondry accidents as those drivers loose control of their vehicles. Worse still, it might dispatch it's cargo of pyrotechnical effects directly into a barfull of people, inevitably causing injuries and starting fires.

 

Several deaths occur each year, and the authorities have attempted to clamp down on this. Unfortunately, this clampdown is woefully innefective. I would warn anyone who will be out and about tomorrow evening to watch out for idiots setting these large fireworks off in your path. In the past I have remonstrated with drunken idiots who defy good sense and let these fireworks off in crouded sois, without warning strolling passers by that they are doing so. The result has been a sullen response of " We do it every year... tough... This is Thailand". Had one of these lunatics injured my wife or daughter with a display firework, they could have personally tested the next one as a suppository...

 

If you must set off fireworks, ( and everyone loves a good display), Please do so on the beach, where there is less liklyhood of them causing injuries or accidents.

You know it makes sense.

[7-Eleven]

Thanks for the news Murg... glad you and your family are ok.

[bigjimslay]

Glad to hear your family is safe. This is easy to believe though. bunch of drunken idiots. Kinda reminds me of south louisiana. LOL...