Forensic experts seek cause of ministry building fire

Forensic experts seek cause of ministry building fire
Following a fire that destroyed several rooms on Saturday, criminal police on Sunday gathered data on the second floors of an old tower at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. ( Photos provided )

At the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in Bangkok, where a fire broke out the day before and damaged several areas, investigative authorities on Sunday looked at the four-story structure.

The tower on Ratchadamnoen Avenue in the Phra Nakhon city was destroyed by fire on Saturday night, and Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiwpan, commander of the Police Forensic Science Office, led a team of investigative authorities to gather information and determine the cause.

According to Pol Lt. Gen. Trairong, the fire began in the second-floor house and totally destroyed it. Flames quickly spread to a bathroom, roof, conference room, and Chaiya Promma’s company, the deputy agriculture and cooperatives minister.

The damage’s estimated value is still unknown.

Around 6 p.m. on Saturday, the house’s security guard noticed smoke coming from the kitchen window and alerted the firefighters, who put out the fire in about 20 minutes. Both the caretaker and the termite exterminator claimed they had n’t gone into the kitchen while they were inside the building.

In an effort to quickly determine the cause of the fire and report results to police authorities, Pol Lt Gen Trairong said he joined investigative authorities to check the image.

At the image of the fire, firefighters are hard at work.