Hot mess! Phuket nightclub and Patong market go up in smoke

Phuket was lit up for all the wrong reasons in the early hours of this morning as two separate fires broke out just hours apart, one at a buzzing nightclub and the other at a popular beachfront food market.

Firefighters dashed to the Hua Pan X5 nightclub in the Phoonpon area of Phuket Town after flames erupted on the club’s mezzanine floor in the small hours of today, April 29.

Police said the alarm was raised at around 3.40am but investigators believe the fire began almost an hour earlier, at roughly 2.50am, when witnesses spotted sparks and smoke spewing from the building’s electrical panel area.

Club manager Sompong Achwarangrob told police he had been outside when he noticed the smoke pouring from inside. Fire crews were immediately called and managed to get the blaze under control by around 3.40am.

Luckily, no one was hurt, but officials are still working to assess the full extent of the damage. Forensic experts have also been brought in to determine the exact cause of the fire, Phuket News reported.

But the flames didn’t stop there.

Just hours later, at around 6am, Patong Police were called to yet another blaze, this time at the Loma Street Food Market, a bustling beachfront dining spot on the west coast.

Firefighters from the Patong Municipality Fire Department quickly descended on the scene, tackling flames that had erupted in a restaurant’s storage room.

Once again, no injuries were reported but some property was damaged.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Somporn Surin is now leading the investigation into the market fire. An emergency rescue spokesperson said there’s no indication of arson at this stage and no suspects have been named.

Both blazes have left locals rattled and, while the causes remain under investigation, Phuket’s fire crews have certainly had a morning to remember.