BANGKOK: Turmoil broke out at a shopping mall in the heart of Phatthalung, southern Thailand on Monday (July 7) night after an autistic boy allegedly played with a lighter and set fire to two spots in the mall.
The first fire was quickly extinguished by mall staff, but the second fire triggered a fire alarm, causing smoke to fill the shopping mall and resulting in a commotion.
Police said the fires occurred at the Coliseum Shopping Mall in downtown Phatthalung around 7pm, causing shoppers and staff to flee in panic.
According to police, the 10-year-old boy allegedly snatched a lighter gun for sale on the basement floor and set fire to a pile of cardboard boxes in a staff room.
Mall staff noticed the fire and quickly put it out before it escalated.
However, while staff were dealing with the first fire, a fire alarm went off and a second fire broke out in an area where the mall stored plastic goods for shelf replenishment.
The second fire caused thick smoke inside the mall, prompting shoppers to evacuate the building.
The Muang Phatthalung Municipality fire station dispatched fire engines and firefighters to the scene, and the blaze was brought under control about half an hour later.
Firefighters found the gas lighter gun at the scene and impounded it as evidence. One mall staff member was rushed to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
Police later located the autistic boy and took him and his parents to the Mueang Police Station for questioning. The parents were in negotiations with the mall regarding compensation for the damages. - The Nation/ANN
