An initial investigation has pointed to an electrical short circuit from battery charging as the cause of the passenger boat fire at Wat Ratchasingkhon pier in Bangkok on Sunday evening.
The Rama 199 Radio Centre received the first alert at 6:43pm, reporting flames on a passenger boat moored at the pier on Charoen Krung Road in Bang Kho Laem district.
Fire and rescue crews from Yannawa station, together with special operations and water rescue units, were immediately dispatched.
Firefighters arrived at 6:49pm to find the vessel fully ablaze. With no passengers or crew on board, the teams focused on containing the fire.
By 6:53pm, however, the flames had spread to two other boats drifting on the Chao Phraya River.
Responders managed to bring the blaze under control on the docked vessel by 6:59pm, while water rescue crews continued to battle flames on the other two boats.
Chao Phraya Express Boat Co Ltd confirmed afterwards that two vessels suffered severe damage and another was slightly damaged. All the boats had completed service for the day and were docked at the time of the fire, leaving no casualties.
Preliminary findings suggest the blaze started from an electrical short circuit linked to the pier’s power supply, which was being used to charge the battery of the first vessel. The boats had returned to dock at 6:15pm, shortly before the fire broke out.
Staff at the pier tried to control the flames as soon as they erupted and coordinated with firefighters. The fire was fully extinguished within 45 minutes.
In a statement, the company said it is cooperating with authorities to confirm the cause and will implement stronger preventive measures to ensure safety.
It also expressed gratitude to all the agencies involved in the emergency response and reaffirmed its commitment to passenger and public safety.
