A 39-year-old man lost his home and his belongings to a fire after he forgot to extinguish a candle he lit before he left the house on Monday morning.
The fire started around 9am and destroyed the single-storey house in Sahakon community of Tha Sai Luat subdistrict, Mae Sot district, in Tak province.
Police investigator Pol Lt Pattharadet Saiwaew, of Mae Sot police, said five fire trucks fought the blaze.
Flames were seen inside and eating through the roof of the house when they arrived. It took firefighters about 15 minutes to bring he blaze under control. No injuries were reported, but the house and its contents were completely destroyed.
Homeowner Sitthisak, 39, told police his electricity had been cut off last week, forcing him to use candles for light. He admitted forgetting to put out one candle near a chair by the wardrobe before leaving the house on Monday morning. He believed that candle caused the fire.