The quiet of a Bangkok neighbourhood was shattered in the small hours of the morning on November 22 when a fire ripped through an Isuzu car showroom on Rama II Soi 33, leaving scorched metal, blackened walls and a shocked security guard in its wake. The blaze — first reported at about 1:51 a.m. — tore through the ground floor of the two-storey concrete building at the entrance to Bang Mod in Chom Thong district before firefighters could wrestle it under control.
Officers from Bang Mod Police Station alerted crews from Chom Thong Fire Station, and rescue volunteers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation also rushed to the scene. When emergency teams arrived they were met by a dramatic sight: flames leaping from a corner of the showroom and thick, oily black smoke curling into the night sky. The fire was fierce but focused, and firefighters worked for more than half an hour to bring it under control.
Inside, the damage was clear and immediate. Three vehicles — two pickup trucks and one SUV — parked on the showroom floor were destroyed. Office furniture including counters, sofas and tables, along with assorted assets, suffered heavy smoke and fire damage. Shockingly, there were no injuries or fatalities reported; the lone security guard on duty, 68‑year‑old Thawat Praphankul, escaped unharmed and was able to tell police what he’d seen.
“I heard a loud bang, like a car crash, shortly after midnight,” Thawat told investigators. “When I went to check, flames were coming from a corner on the ground floor and smoke filled the area. The building was locked and no employees were inside.” He said the fire spread quickly while he waited for help to arrive — fire engines reached the scene roughly 20 minutes after his call.
At this stage authorities are treating the incident with caution. KhaoSod and police reports have noted a possible link to an electrical transformer explosion as the source of the bang Thawat heard, but that theory has not been confirmed. Forensic teams and fire experts are set to comb the wreckage and conduct a full investigation to determine how the blaze started and whether any mechanical or electrical faults were to blame.
The immediate area has been cordoned off while investigators work and damage assessments are carried out. Police have not yet released an estimate for the cost of the destruction; for now, the scene remains a smouldering reminder of how quickly an ordinary night can turn dangerous.
Beyond the immediate impact on the showroom — ruined inventory, scorched interiors and the logistical headache of recovery — the incident briefly shut down traffic and drew neighbours out into the chilly predawn air. Onlookers watched as crews doused hotspots and cleared smoke from the structure. The Poh Teck Tung Foundation’s volunteers assisted with rescue and safety tasks, reinforcing just how quickly civic organisations spring into action in Bangkok when disaster strikes.
For business owners and residents, the fire is a reminder of the importance of regular maintenance and vigilance over electrical systems, especially in commercial properties that house vehicles and other flammable assets. It’s also a testament to the response capabilities of local emergency services — a fast, coordinated effort that prevented injuries and limited what could have been a much grimmer outcome.
As forensic investigators comb through wiring, appliances and vehicle components, authorities have urged anyone with information — particularly those who may have heard the bang or seen suspicious activity around the showroom in the hours before the blaze — to come forward. Meanwhile, the Isuzu showroom’s operators and insurers face the practical task of inventorying losses and planning cleanup and repairs.
Bangkok residents are no strangers to sudden incidents, but a car showroom fire at the entrance to a leafy neighbourhood like Bang Mod is still unnerving. For Thawat, who spent the night as the lone sentinel and lived to tell the tale, the experience was a sharp jolt: a bang in the dark, flames in a corner and the blur of emergency lights converging on Rama II Soi 33. For now, investigators will focus on answers — and the community will watch as the scene goes from smouldering ruin back to an ordinary street corner.
I live two blocks from Rama II Soi 33 and the bang woke my whole family. The flames looked massive when I drove by this morning and the smoke still smelled strong. Lucky the guard was okay, but the shop will be gutted.
That’s terrifying, Somchai — did you see any burnt wiring or scorched transformer boxes nearby? I hope the neighbours check their own electrical panels at home.
An eyewitness account is valuable but can be misleading about technical causes. Transformer explosions are plausible, yet forensic analysis of wiring, vehicle batteries, and combustibles is required for a definitive cause. Authorities should publish preliminary findings to avoid rumor spread.
Thanks Dr. A. K., I just wanted to warn neighbours. I’ll share any video I took with the police.
Terrible for the business owners who lost cars and furniture overnight. Fire services did well though, getting it under control fast. Hope insurance covers it.
Insurance never seems to be straightforward here, I’ve seen claims dragged out for months. Owners should get a lawyer ready.
Exactly, paperwork and delays are the worst after a disaster.
This reeks of negligence. How does a commercial showroom not have proper surge protection or working detectors? Someone should be held accountable, not just the unfortunate guard.
Jumping to blame without the forensics is unhelpful. Still, inspections and fines make sense if maintenance was lax.
As a structural engineer I say enforcement is the problem. Many small commercial places in Bangkok operate with expired safety certificates and weak inspections, which raises real systemic risk.
I get that, but waiting for investigations while people suffer losses is frustrating. We need faster penalties and mandatory upgrades.
That bang sounded like a rocket in the night. I’m scared of car fires now.
Vehicle batteries, especially from modern SUVs and pickups, can be dangerous in fires if damaged. Forensic teams should isolate each vehicle’s battery and fuel lines to exclude spontaneous ignition sources. Also, nearby transformers must be checked for voltage spikes that could trigger a blaze.
What worries me is the response time — 20 minutes might be too long in a densely built area. If it had spread to adjacent houses the outcome could have been worse.
Twenty minutes is actually pretty reasonable given traffic and station locations, but rural and suburban spots suffer more. We should map response times publicly so residents know their risk.
Public mapping is a good idea, transparency helps people sleep easier.
Shoutout to the Poh Teck Tung Foundation and volunteers who arrived quickly. These community groups are the unsung backbone during incidents like this.
Thanks for mentioning us — we train with fire services but people don’t always know what we do. Volunteers help with crowd control, first aid, and getting information to families.
No CCTV? No staff? How did a showroom at a busy corner end up locked with only a 68-year-old guard inside at night? Management decisions deserve scrutiny.
Many showrooms have CCTV but footage can be overwritten within 24-48 hours unless saved. The first thing investigators should do is secure digital evidence and the guard’s phone records.
Exactly — digital forensics could clarify timelines and detect tampering or suspicious visitors.
I want to clarify I’m not the showroom owner, just a neighbour and very worried about the transformer theory. The noise came from the alley and then the flames, so electrical origin seems likely.
Neighbour testimony is important for chronology. Investigators will look at transformer maintenance logs and witness timelines to correlate events.
Flammable materials around car showrooms are a recipe for disaster, period. Staff should be trained in emergency evacuation even if they don’t operate overnight.
Training helps, but enforcement is the limiter. Owners often skip drills to save time and money, which is shortsighted.
We urge anyone with dashcam or doorbell footage to contact Bang Mod station. Even small clips can establish whether anyone was near the premises before the explosion.
How did the fire not spread to the neighboring greenery? Lucky wind conditions perhaps, or the firefighters were right on it. Either way, grateful nobody was hurt.
Let’s not forget modern pickup trucks have complex electronics that can short and start fires. It could be accidental vehicle-related arson without anyone at fault.
I smelled the smoke from half a kilometre away walking my dog. The community has to demand regular safety checks for businesses that store vehicles.
Agree, but who do we call for regular business compliance? Local municipality? They rarely follow up.
Start with district office and then escalate to the fire department if ignored.
Anytime vehicles and transformers are near each other, it’s a hazard. Maybe time to ban transformers close to commercial lots.
This will hit staff livelihoods hard even if no one was injured. Showroom cleaners, salespeople, and contractors could lose work for months.
People immediately cry ‘arson’ on social media these days. Until we have evidence, stop politicizing tragedy for clicks.
Or maybe it’s not a conspiracy but an insurance scam. Happens more than you think with staged fires.
Accusing victims without facts is low. Let investigators do their job.
Repairing the showroom will cost easily millions of baht when you account for inventory and structural damage. Suppliers and buyers will need receipts and proof for claims.
Inventory reconciliation is brutal post-fire; digital records are lifesavers. Companies without cloud backups will struggle with claims.
We need better urban planning that separates heavy electrical infrastructure from retail storage. Mixed-use zones increase these risks.
Why does nobody mention the old wiring in these older concrete buildings? Renovations often ignore electrical upgrades.
Old wiring plus overloaded circuits are classic causes of fires. Regular inspections and replacing degraded insulation saves lives.
The guard being 68 y/o makes me sad — relying on elders as lone night staff is unfair and risky. Employers should provide better security systems and staff rotation.
If the transformer did blow, that suggests utility maintenance gaps. MEA or PEA must publish maintenance schedules and fault records publicly to rebuild trust.
Traffic shut down briefly — that caused huge delays for morning commuters. Secondary costs like lost work time are often overlooked.
True, a single incident can ripple across the city with economic impact beyond the immediate damage.
Owners should preserve all records and cooperate with insurers quickly. Delays or destroyed evidence could lead to denied claims or litigation.
I want the police to release CCTV footage if there is any. Silence breeds speculation and mistrust.
Forensic fire investigation is methodical: origin, cause, and responsible parties. Patience is essential, but transparency on progress helps calm the public.
Posting again because this is about accountability, not witch-hunting. If inspections are lax, patchwork fixes won’t be enough — we need systemic reform.
Systemic reform requires political will and funding; public pressure after high-profile incidents often fades before change happens. Sustained civic engagement is necessary.
Volunteers need protective equipment and training to avoid injuries. We’re proud to help but the risk is real and must be managed.