Massive fire in Phuket put under control

PHUKET, THAILAND, October 17 (TNA) - A massive fire broke out at SuperCheap, a large wholesale store, in the center of Thailand's southern resort Phuket Province on Wednesday night and firefighters took several hours to put the devastating blaze under control. The firefighters and nearly 100 fire engines have been showering the store with water from the outside of the building to control the flames, which have continued burning on piles of merchandise inside the place. The 3rd Naval Area Command of the Royal Thai Navy has deployed a helicopter to drop foam to help limit the spreading fire; while the Phuket governor said he expects the blaze to be completely extinguished by Thursday afternoon. An initial survey found that the warehouse of the wholesale store was completely destroyed and the fire also burnt many nearby houses, a garage, a construction material shop and a cement mill plant. About 1,000 employees worked at the SuperCheap store when the fire broke out and local authorities have not yet found out whether any of them was trapped inside the burnt building. The authorities have set up a relief center at the Provincial Hall to receive reports of missing people and to help affected people. Meanwhile, local police are waiting to enter the store to investigate the cause of the fire. (TNA)