Nearly S$40K in life savings burn after blaze rips through elderly couple’s home
An elderly couple in Thailand discovered the risks of stowing cash at home when a freak fire burnt their entire life savings.
The incident started at about 9.30am on 21 Dec, when the local fire department in Surin province responded to reports of an ongoing fire that was about to spread to an adjacent house, reported the Thairath news platform.
Source: Matichon
Two houses burn down due to fire
The authorities quickly deployed five fire trucks to the scene. Upon arrival, they found that the inferno had engulfed the two-storey house that was half made of wood, and the other half concrete.
Firefighters took approximately half an hour to put out the blaze.
Unfortunately, one of the buildings — a wooden stilt house — completely burnt down.
Source: Matichon
Both the structures that caught fire belonged to an elderly couple who were crying to the point of fainting nearby.
Life savings stored at home also burn together with houses
Once the fire was put out, an inspection of the wreckage showed that the couple’s belongings had burnt down along with their house.
Additionally, many of their important documents had also gone up in flames.
Several stacks of half-burnt 1,000-baht banknotes were also found.
Source: Matichon
The couple said they had kept over 900,000 baht (S$36,000) in cash along with multiple piggy banks inside their home.
The authorities are currently investigating the cause of the blaze.
Owner rushed in to search for cash when fire started
The owner, 59-year-old Mr Yom Boonjue, told reporters that he first spotted smoke coming from the old wooden house where he kept hay for his cows.
Remembering that their life savings were stored at home, he rushed in to search for the cash which he and his wife spent their entire lives accumulating.
Unfortunately, only his wife knew where the money was stored, and because she wasn’t home, he could not find it.
When he started suffocating from the smoke, he smashed a nearby window and leapt out of the house to save his own life, injuring his hand.
A result of ‘fate’, says owner
Mr Yom added that before the fire started, he spotted several children rushing out of the old house that caught fire.
However, he did not want them to get into trouble over this. Instead, he considered the fire to be a result of “fate”.
Part of the cash was going to be used to pay for a tractor that costs more than 100,000 baht (S$4,000), he added, lamenting:
I don’t know how I can continue my life.
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Featured image adapted from Matichon.Â
