A German man and his young daughter had a lucky escape after fire quickly spread through their home in Cha Am on Friday morning.
Officials said a cigarette butt that wasn’t properly disposed of caused the fire at the three storey property located close to Phanthurat Forest Park in Khao Yai District.
The fire broke out in a bedroom on the second floor before spreading to an adjacent wardrobe and bathroom, officials said.
Upon inspection of the bedroom, it was found that all furniture, such as the TV, bed, wardrobe, and clothes, were damaged by the fire, causing a loss of more than 50,000 baht.
The owner of the house was identified as a 44-year-old German man who told officials that prior to the incident he had been inside the room eating and smoking a cigarette.
After finishing his meal, he left the cigarette butt on the ashtray on the bedside table, having left the room to take a telephone call.
Upon returning, he saw a fire had broken out in the room, so he quickly ran to the adjacent room and to rescue his two year old daughter before leaving the house.
The fire took 30 minutes to bring under control.
Officials said their preliminary investigation suggested that the fire was caused by the cigarette butt that was left on the ashtray and fell onto the floor, igniting the fire that caused the damage.
