Major Fire Scatters Shoppers at Bangkok’s Khlong Thom Center

BANGKOK, Thailand — Shoppers and traders fled for safety on Friday night after a major fire broke out at the Khlong Thom Center, a famous shopping hub for electronics and machinery in Bangkok’s Pom PrapSattruPhai district.

The blaze, which began around 8:42 PM on Friday, August 28, 2026 engulfed ground-floor retail stalls and rapidly spread across the three-story complex. The incident resulted in at least 11 injuries and caused extensive structural collapses within the building.

The fire originated in a ground-floor shop before quickly igniting dense stockpiles of flammable merchandise, including electronic components, plastics, and vehicle equipment. Witness reports noted repeated internal explosions as flames swept up toward mezzanine levels and parking areas. Emergency crews from nine fire stations rushed to the scene. Firefighters battled thick, toxic plumes of smoke that drifted for kilometers across Bangkok, prompting municipal health warnings for nearby residents.

As temperatures inside the steel-framed structure soared, major sections of the roof and upper floors buckled and collapsed inward, hindering firefighters from immediately reaching the core of the blaze. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Erawan Emergency Medical Centre reported that 11 people suffered injuries. Among the casualties were emergency responders, including a volunteer firefighter who was critically injured from smoke inhalation. No fatalities have been reported.

By 5:32 AM on Saturday morning, teams had largely brought the open flames under control. However, white toxic smoke continued to rise from smoldering debris trapped underneath the collapsed roof. Bangkok Governor ChadchartSittipunt, who inspected the site alongside rescue officials, warned that the building remains at severe risk of further structural collapse. Heavy machinery and engineers have been deployed to assess whether search teams can safely navigate the leaning ruins.

The site has been cordoned off as a danger zone, preventing hundreds of shop owners from returning to inspect their destroyed stalls. Forensic police are preparing to enter the complex once the structure is stabilized to determine the exact cause of the ignition.