After inspecting the mall’s interior, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and Engineering Institute of Thailand told reporters yesterday that the fire was likely caused by the combustion of gas in the mall’s waste-treatment facility on B2 floor, which then spread to the eighth floor via an air vent.
Apart from the small fire-affected areas on B2 and the eighth floor, the mall can open for business as normal, the team said. As for why the fire was worse on the eighth floor, Amorn said that an air vent delivered the smoke and heat to the upper level, triggering a second fire outbreak there. “The department store is big and full of customers, so operators must consider preventing mass panic, which could harm more people than the fire itself.
“Furthermore, I heard no sirens to warn people in the mall that there was a fire and that we were in danger!”