Parking Lot Worker Starts Fire to Cook Rice, Flames Spread to 10-Wheeler Truck, Destroying 3 Vehicles

At 3:30 PM on April 30, 2569, Deputy Investigation Officer Surachet Khanthong from Tha Kham Police Station received a report of a truck fire on Soi Prachauthit 76, Tha Kham Sub-district, Bang Khun Thian District, Bangkok. He and firefighters from Bang Khun Thian Fire Station and rescue team responded to the scene.

The incident occurred near Wat Bua Phan, an abandoned area surrounded by grassland and acacia trees. Investigators found a 12-wheeler truck carrying sawdust engulfed in flames, which then spread to a 10-wheeler truck carrying wood and a 6-wheeler truck parked nearby. All three vehicles caught fire. Firefighters used water jets to control the blaze, which took 30 minutes to extinguish. All three trucks were completely destroyed. Investigators found stones arranged as a stove, metal grates, a rice cooking pot, and firewood at the rear of the sawdust truck, which they collected as evidence.

The investigation revealed the lot belonged to an owner who was not using it. The truck owner leased the space to park four trucks. Previously, the trucks were used for soil transportation, but with no current work, they were unregistered and reported to the Department of Land Transport. Two workers were hired to guard the premises, living in a nearby shipping container.

Before the incident, there was intense sun. Neighbors witnessed the workers using the truck's shadow for shade before lighting a fire at the rear of the truck to prepare food. When the fire ignited, strong wind gusts blew sparks onto a pile of sawdust, which is highly flammable. The fire rapidly spread to all three trucks and nearby grassland before both workers fled in panic.

Police are currently interrogating the truck owner and tracking down both workers for questioning before proceeding with legal action.