Bangkok's famous Chatuchak market was set ablaze on the night of June 2, 2019, around 9:30pm local time (10:30pm Singapore time).

Police and Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) officials are investigating the cause of the fire, but there are suspicions that it was started by an explosion in an electrical transformer, Bangkok Post reports.

Witnesses heard "sporadic explosions"

City Hall governor Aswin Kwanmuang revealed that the fire affected 110 shops, although The Straits Times pegged it at 200 shops and 1,000 sqm of damage.

According to The Nation, about 20 fire trucks were deployed.

However, strong winds, plus the narrow, congested layout of the market made it an uphill task for the firefighters, who managed to being the fire under control in about an hour and a half.

Witnesses claimed to have heard "sporadic explosions" from the area.

Naruemon sae Hoon, chairwoman of Chatuchak service cooperative, also noted that "the electric outlets tended to be overloaded and the power plugs in the market were below standard", but did not call it out as the cause of the fire.

A number of photos from Thai media showed the extent of the damage:

The market was closed at the time of the incident and there are no reported deaths at time of writing, although rescue volunteers report two injuries from the incident.

Shopkeepers to be compensated

However, a number of goods were irreversibly damaged, including products of silk, rattan, and ceramics.

In the Bangkok Post report, Kwanmuang added that each shop will receive 10,000 baht (S$435.74) in compensation from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

BMA will also set up free makeshift tents for the vendors to sell their products for one year.

Top image via JS100 Radio/Facebook