KAMPHAENG PHET – A tragic fire has claimed the life of a 73-year-old man who reportedly poured fuel and set his house ablaze, then lay on a bed as the flames spread. Relatives and neighbors tried to put out the fire, but could not reach him in time. Several people close to him said he had spoken about his intentions beforehand, and he had shouted to neighbors that he would not be around anymore.
On Sunday, officers from Pang Sila Thong Police Station received a call about a house fire and responded with local administrative officials, disaster prevention crews from Pho Thong Subdistrict, three fire trucks, and rescue workers from Sawang Kamphaeng Phet, Pang Sila Thong unit.
The blaze occurred at house numbers 35 and 37 in Ban Nong Lom, Pho Thong Subdistrict, Pang Sila Thong District. Both houses were damaged. One concrete house suffered interior losses, while the adjacent raised wooden house was engulfed. Firefighters battled intense flames for nearly two hours before bringing the situation under control.
After the fire was contained, officials inspected the raised wooden house, which had been burned down to its posts and roof frame, with all belongings destroyed. Under the house, they found a bed and the body of the homeowner, Mr. Boonmee Sae-Tan, 73, burned beyond recognition.
Police and an on-call physician from Pang Sila Thong Hospital examined the scene, then sent the body for further forensic analysis to confirm the cause of death. Security camera footage from a neighboring home captured the fire as it spread and residents trying to douse the flames.
Fire crews arrived to help, but the wooden house was already largely destroyed. The nearby concrete house sustained significant damage to its belongings, though the fire did not consume the entire structure.
The victim’s nephew led officers to spots where fuel had been poured before the fire started. He said Mr. Boonmee had been telling people for more than two months that he intended to burn the house and himself, adding that ongoing family problems and mental health issues might have been factors.
At the time of the incident, the victim was alone at home. Villagers saw smoke and flames and rushed in to help, but it was too late. His wife and children were traveling from Bangkok to arrange funeral matters, while police continued procedures to verify identity and determine the precise cause of death.
A next-door neighbor, Mr. Pom Sudthi, 55, told officers that the day before the fire, Mr. Boonmee shouted to him while revving a motorcycle and banging on a table inside the house. He heard him call out, saying he would not be around anymore.
Later that night, he heard him muttering and thought he might have been drunk or having a relapse of his condition. The next morning, he noticed smoke, ran over, and tried to help extinguish the fire with others, but they could not stop it.
He said the victim had warned many people that he planned to burn the house and himself, yet he never thought he would go through with it.
