BANGKOK: A major fire tore through Khlong Thom Center on Worachak Road in the Pom Prap Sattru Phai district on Friday night, August 28th, 2026, spreading from ground-floor shops to a mezzanine under the parking deck before being brought under control. Officials later confirmed the blaze was on the Yamraj Sukhum side of Worachak Road, a correction from earlier references to Yaowarat.
The Rama 199 Radio Center received the first report at 8:42 p.m. Firefighters from Suan Mali station arrived within minutes and found flames and heavy smoke coming from a first-floor shop packed with combustible goods. Crews from Phaya Thai, Banthat Thong, Bang Rak, Phukhao Thong, Samsen, Phahon Yothin, Bang Pho, and Sutthisan stations were called in as the fire raced through densely stocked stalls.
By about 9:10 p.m. the fire had reached the mezzanine beneath the parking area. Periodic explosions were heard as electronics, plastics, wiring, and other stored materials ignited. Parts of the steel-framed building, including awnings, roof sections, and parking-level floors, began to sag and collapse under the heat. Firefighters stayed outside rather than enter because of structural risk and because exterior walls blocked water streams.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt visited the scene and said no one was trapped inside. He noted that steel loses strength when overheated and that the first floor held large quantities of merchandise, which fed the rapid spread. Deputy Interior Minister Jesada Thaiseth also inspected the site and later visited injured personnel at Central Hospital.
Rama 199 and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration updates said the main fire was under control around 11:13–11:30 p.m. Flames flared again after midnight in an adjacent building believed to hold solar panels, likely from residual heat. Crews doused the area for more than 30 minutes. No deaths were reported.
Erawan Medical Center later said 11 people were injured: one volunteer firefighter in critical condition from smoke inhalation, one in semi-critical condition, and nine with minor injuries. Earlier on-scene reports had listed three injured firefighters and volunteers, who were taken to Central Hospital.
On Saturday morning, thin white smoke still rose from the wreckage. Firefighters continued to spray water to cool the structure and prevent reignition. Worachak Road in front of the building reopened to normal traffic. The district office cordoned off the site because of partial collapse and opened a registration center for affected vendors and residents. Police from Phlapphla Chai 1 station and forensic officers were collecting evidence; the cause had not been confirmed. Some reports said about 90 percent of the building was destroyed and more than 20 vehicles on upper levels were damaged.
Khlong Thom Center is a long-standing multi-storey indoor market in the historic Khlong Thom trading district, between Worachak and Charoen Krung roads near Chinatown. The area grew after an old canal was filled in decades ago and became known for cheap electronics, auto parts and accessories, tools, lighting, CCTV gear, household goods, secondhand items, collectibles, and, more recently, art toys and imported models. The center housed hundreds of shops and a parking structure for roughly 300 cars. Weekend night trading has long been part of its identity. The building sits on a compact plot of about 1,600 square meters with a steel frame.
Authorities said they would continue assessing structural safety and financial losses. Vendors and nearby businesses were advised to follow district office instructions while investigators determine how the fire started.
For the original version of this article, please visit The Pattaya News.
