BMA registers victims of Yaowarat fire to speed up help
Thais and immigrant workers were affected by a massive fire that swept through a slum community in Bangkok's Chinatown
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration on Sunday set up a centre to register Thais and immigrant workers who were affected by a massive fire that swept through a slum community on Yaowarat Road to speed up assistance to the victims.
Officials from Samphanthawong District Office set up a tent at Wat Samphanthawong Worawihan to register the fire victims.
The fire broke out at the crammed community on Soi Trok Pho off Yaowarat Road Saturday night and swept through it as well as affecting houses and buildings around it.
The BMA determined on Sunday that the fire destroyed 37 houses in the slum community and damaged 66 other houses nearby.
The blaze also damaged the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of New Empire Hotel, and damaged the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of two nearby restaurants, Chalerm Buri and Taiseng.
All in all, the fire spread through more than 1 rai of area, the BMA concluded.
The BMA also reported that five people were injured in the blaze, but there were no fatalities.
One of the injured suffered a burn caused by an electrical short circuit and he was treated at Hua Chiew General Hospital.
Two other men suffered smoke inhalation and were admitted at the BMA Central Hospital. Two other men who suffered smoke inhalation were sent to the Taksin and Samitivej Chinatown hospitals and were discharged after treatment.
The BMA preliminary report stated that the cause of the fire could not be established for now as the entire community was burned down.
On the registration of fire victims for compensation, the district officials registered the victims in two groups – Thais and immigrant workers.
Thais could provide their identification cards or household registration for the registration.
For immigrant workers, they must provide their passports or a pink card for stateless people issued by the Provincial Administration Department or white cards issued for immigrant workers to register.
The BMA said immigrant workers who lost their ID documents in the fire can inform the BMA officials if they entered the country lawfully and the officials would later cross-check their names with government agencies concerned.
The BMA said the fire victims must first file a complaint with police inside the temple. The Plupplachai police station has set up a desk in the temple to receive their complaints.
After the registration, the district office will issue a certificate of being fire victims and they must produce the certificate to BMA’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation desk, also inside the temple. The disaster mitigation office will then start the process of considering compensation for them.
Apart from the BMA, the Social Development and Human Security Ministry and several foundations also deployed officials to the temple to hand out necessities and other aid to the fire victims.
