The fire broke out at about 9 pm and firefighters backed up by over 50 fire engines took eight hours before they could put out the blaze at 4 am Sunday.

During their earlier attempts, firefighters could only try to contain the blaze from spreading to nearby buildings, which are commercial and housing buildings.

The fire caused about ten trains at the Hua Lampong Bangkok Raiway station, which is near the market, to be delayed from 8 pm Saturday until 3:30 am Sunday.

The building was a deserted apartment building located between the second and third bridges on Padung Krungkasem Road in Pathumvan district.

The building was occupied by clothes wholesalers, who also kept their goods inside the six-floor building.

The clothes played a big part in assisting the blaze to spread and engulf the building quickly.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Wallop Suwannadee and Pathum district director Surakiart Limcharoen rushed to the scene to direct the fire fighting.

Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayothin arrived at the scene at 30 minutes past midnight.

Two fire fighters were injured after falling down from nearby buildings while using water guns to douse the blaze. One of them suffered head injury while the other suffered broken right leg.

Fire engines could not enter small roads to reach the building directly so they used cranes to douse the blaze.  Firefighters also used smaller fire trucks to reach the scene.

Some parts of the building fell down after the blaze raged for two hours and firefighters inside the building were quickly evacuated.

Chaiwat Nimitthongsak, a vendor at the Bobe aera, said he saw a short circuit happen at a bridge near Sirichai Wholsale shop and the flames caused by the short circuit caused the shop to catch fire, which quickly spread.

Woraphan Chiewsujin, 41, a resident of the neighbourhood, said the residents in the apartment building had deserted it for sometime because it had become too old and its condition had deteriorated badly.

The Nation