A 96-year-old bedridden woman died in a locked room of her house in Udon Thani’s Phen district on Wednesday morning after fire engulfed the building.
The fire spread from the home of Phan Manee and damaged a neighbouring house. Fire-fighters spent about an hour extinguishing the blaze before Phan’s body could be recovered.
Her daughter Saeng Manee and son-in-law Boonseng Chaokla were not at home at the time.
Neighbour Joi Janthana, whose house was also damaged, said he heard an explosion from the direction of Phan’s house and saw the flames.
He ran to attempt a rescue but found her ground-floor bedroom locked. He shouted for help but the fire spread too quickly.
Police suspect a short circuit among ageing power cables sparked the fire.
