Driver Dies in Truck Cab Fire at Gas Station

On September 13, Deputy Investigation Officer Anupong Puangpi of Kaeng Police Station in Rayong received a report from rescue workers about a six-wheel truck carrying a tractor that caught fire at a gas station on Highway 344 in Tambon Thang Keuwan, Kaeng District. A man was found dead inside the cab. The victim, Phalawat (surname withheld), 37, a truck driver, was completely engulfed by flames with no chance of escape.

The driver had departed from Phitsanulok around 11 a.m. and arrived in Kaeng District around 10 p.m. He pulled into a gas station to rest before delivering the tractor, which cost 800,000 baht, to the customer the next morning. Gas station staff reported seeing smoke and flames suddenly shooting from the parked truck, followed by the sound of breaking glass. They quickly grabbed fire extinguishers and helped extinguish the blaze with another truck driver before discovering the body inside.

Rescue officer Jiraphan Ngoenbumrung theorized that the victim had plugged a small portable fan into the vehicle's battery socket while deeply asleep from the long drive. An electrical short circuit likely caused the fan to overheat, igniting a rapid fire with enough pressure to shatter the windows. Because the driver was in deep sleep, he could not escape in time. Police documented the scene and collected evidence. The body was sent to Kaeng Hospital for autopsy to determine the exact cause of death before being released to relatives for funeral rites.