Soneva Kiri Resort had smoke detectors, but these malfunctioned during fire: local officials
Soneva Kiri Resort and Residences has fire alarms and smoke detectors, but they malfunctioned when a fire broke out at the luxury resort in Trat province last Sunday, the Koh Kood subdistrict administration organisation (SAO) said on Wednesday.
A fire erupted at Villa 63 of the six-star luxury resort in the wee hours of March 6, razing it to the ground and causing some 22 million baht in damage and some injuries among guests and staffers.
One of the guests who escaped the fire took to social media to claim that the resort had no fire alarms or smoke detectors installed, despite boasting a room tariff of a whopping 500,000 baht per night.
Koh Kood SAO president Dechathorn Chan-ob said officials investigated the scene and found that the hotel has fire alarms and smoke detectors, but these malfunctioned and therefore failed to warn guests of the fire in time.
Dechathorn also said Soneva Kiri had filed proper documents with the authorities before building the resort, which does not encroach on national forest land, as some suspected.
“The SAO has been checking hotels on Koh Kood periodically to make sure they comply with the Building Safety Act and Hotel Act,” he said. “We will continue to check every hotel and homestay on the island regardless of their stars to make sure such an accident does not happen again,” Dechathorn added.
Please contact
The Nation's Editorial: thenation@nationgroup.com
Online Advertising Contact : kullapark_pho@nationgroup.com
Tel: 02-338-3000