Investigation set to focus on permit, house design

Police are looking into whether the three-storey house in Bangkok’s Thawi Watthana district which claimed five lives when it collapsed during a fire on Saturday was constructed in line with existing building standards.

Deputy commissioner and spokesman of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Maj Gen Piya Tawichai, said investigators went to the Thawi Watthana district office to ask officials if the appropriate permissions were sought prior to the construction of the house.

Police are also checking the house’s blueprint, which contains details about the owner, architect and engineer who oversaw the construction.

“We will examine whether the blueprint was drafted in line with standards and whether the engineer oversaw the construction in line with the law,” Pol Maj Gen Piya said.

He said police will also question the house’s owner about the tragedy and whether or not he had sought permission to modify the house after it was built.

“If the house was modified without permission from authorities, the owner will face legal action, but if the blueprint or the construction was not up to standards, the blueprint drafter and/ or those who oversaw the construction will have to take responsibility,” Pol Maj Gen Piya said.

He added that officials are trying to find the cause of the fire based on the forensic evidence they found at the house.

Suchatvee Suwansawat, president of the Council of Engineers, said that there are four factors that should be taken into account to determine the cause of the collapse — whether the construction design was correct, whether the construction followed the design blueprint, whether the house was used for the wrong purposes, and force majeure such as the fire.

Bangkok governor Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang said yesterday that he has instructed public works officials at Thawi Watthana district to help the police look into the cause of the blaze.

The relatives of those killed and injured in the fire will be compensated in accordance with the Disaster Relief Assistance Act, Pol Gen Aswin said.

The three-storey building was located on a 50-square-wah plot in the Krisdanakorn 31 housing estate in the Boromratchachonnani area of Thon Buri.

The house collapsed after a fire had raged through it for about an hour, leaving five dead — including four firefighters — and seven severely injured.

Initial reports suggested the fire broke out at a security guard post that was used to store old mattresses and cleaning materials.