Six tourists injured in Pattaya hotel fire
Six foreign tourists were in-jured in a hotel fire in south Pattaya early yesterday morning, police said.
The fire started at about 12.30am in a fourth-floor room of the six-storey Marine Plaza Hotel, prompting more than 100 tourists to flee the building, according to Pattaya police.Major Weerawut Meelai said three guests were injured when they attempted to use bedding to scale the outside of the hotel. Three others were treated for smoke inhalation. It took fire fighters more than half an hour to extinguish the blaze. Damage was estimated at about Bt1 million. The hotel caters mainly to guests from the Middle East. Omani tourist Klalis Maham-mad, 18, told police he noticed a burning smell coming from the air-conditioning compressor unit in his room before fire took hold of curtains and carpet. He fled the room. Pattaya Superintendent Colonel Suthin Sabpuang said hotel staff had earlier observed Klalis and a woman entering the hotel in an intoxicated state. They suspect a dropped cigarette may have started the fire although investigators were waiting for forensic-test results. Guests returning to their rooms later complained valuables and cash were missing. A tourist from Dubai, Brahim Carry, 18, said Bt14,000 cash was gone from his room. One witness said there were many people coming and going from the hotel during the drama - including fire fighters and rescue volunteers. Criminals may have taken advantage of the confusion to steal valuables. Police advised guests who had suffered losses to lodge reports. The Nation CHON BURI
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