The three victims of the hotel fire near Khao San Road in Bangkok have been identified – including a Brazilian woman whose boyfriend proposed to her last week – as tourism authorities were preparing compensation.
The three who perished in the blaze at The Ember Hotel on Tanee Road near Khao San Road late Sunday night were identified as a 24-year-old Brazilian woman, Pimentel Canales Albuquerque, a 27-year-old Ukrainian man, Tuzov Victor, and a 35-year-old American man, Freeman Timothy Jr.
The woman died in the room where the fire is believed to have started. The two men were pronounced dead at Vajira Hospital and Samitivej Chinatown Hospital.
Seven people were injured, including an electrician at the hotel, Sorawut Liewhamai, and two Netherlanders, Marvin Holtkamp and Nadine Hueftlein.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said officials assumed the fire started in Room 511 because it destroyed only that room.
Of the 75 guests in the hotel at the time of the incident, 34 fled to the rooftop of the building and were evacuated with fire truck ladders.
The Brazilian woman was found dead in Room 511. Detectives assumed that she mistakenly entered the room while trying to escape the smoke-filled hotel in the darkness, because its door was left open.
She earlier checked in with her boyfriend who had proposed to her last week. They stayed in Room 504, not far from Room 511. During their escape, she became separated from her boyfriend, who survived.
The Bangkok governor said the hotel had been developed by the modification of 11 connected commercial building units covering a combined area of 1,515 square metres.
The hotel opened in April 2022. There were two fire exits and sufficient fire extinguishers, but no sprinkler system because it was a small hotel that was not required to have such equipment, he said.
Amorn Pimanmas, president of the Thailand Structural Engineers Association, said the fire likely started in the bed in Room 511 because its mattress was completely burnt and only coil springs were left. The structure of the hotel was intact, he said.
It was reported that three Korean men had stayed in Room 511, but they were not there when the fire broke out.
A hotel staff member rushed to the room at the sound of the fire alarm. When the employee opened the door, black smoke quickly billowed out.
Detectives were looking for the Korean men to question them about the possible cause of the fire.
Natthriya Thaweevong, permanent secretary for tourism and sports, said the government would pay 1 million baht in compensation for each death case and 500,000 baht for each injury case.
