Fire Damages Wat Noi Ubosot in Suphan Buri; Monk Photos Survive Unscathed
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A fire erupted inside the ubosot of Wat Noi in Tambon Ton Kram, Bang Pla Ma district, Suphan Buri province at 3:00 PM on October 26, 2026. Personnel from the Ner Kaew Highway Rescue Volunteer Association, Ton Kram Municipality, Bang Pla Ma Police Station, and Mayor Chai Sukpinij responded to the alarm. Upon arrival they found flames spreading near the principal Buddha image. Rescue volunteers and temple residents fought the fire with buckets of water and brought it under control in roughly ten minutes. Investigators determined the ignition point was a cluster of burning candles and incense alongside a misting fan. The blaze consumed an offering table, the candle trays, and the fan, but all Buddha images inside the hall remained untouched apart from light soot. Most strikingly, framed portraits of Luang Pu Niem, the temple's late former abbot, and Luang Pu Kasem Khemako, a renowned monk from Lampang, were left completely intact despite their frames being scorched. Villagers regard the preservation of the portraits as a miraculous testament to the monks' spiritual power.
Preliminary questioning of the Ner Kaew rescuers confirmed the fire originated at the candle station. Damage was limited to the offering table and the single misting fan; the Buddha images suffered only minor soot. Temple residents reported that monks had conducted morning chanting in the ubosot and lit candles before locking the doors and departing for alms rounds. In the afternoon, the sound of breaking glass and rising smoke alerted them. They forced the doors open to find thick smoke and a burning carpet, and immediately doused the flames with water. The portraits of Luang Pu Niem and Luang Pu Kasem Khemako, positioned nearby, were unharmed, reinforcing the community's belief that the two monks continue to protect Wat Noi from disaster.
