Emergency responders were called to behind the Araya Beach Hotel Patong* on Thaweewong Rd (the beach road) after 4am after receiving a report of a fire there.
Firefighters were soon on scene and had the fire under control within about 10 minutes, Patong Municipality Fire Dept told The Phuket News.
The fire appeared to start from a transformer malfunction behind the hotel*, and thankfully no people were reported as injured from the fire, firefighters confirmed.
The annual all-day drill was conducted yesterday at the Patong Municipality offices, starting at 9am.
About 30 participants joined the practical first-aid exercises in the morning led by staff from Patong Hospital, explained Somjit Limphattanawong Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) at Patong Municipality.
“They also underwent basic training in using fire-fighting equipment and fire extinguishers,” she added.
In the second part of the exercises, held in the afternoon, about 70 more participants joined the drill, which simulated a building fire started by cooking gas leak.
The exercise required mass evacuation of a building and proper techniques in countering such a fire.
“This was our yearly exercise. Officials acting as observers will report the emergency response times and rate the effectiveness of the responses, so we can see which areas need improvement,” Ms Somjit said.
* A representative of the hotel confirmed later this afternoon that the fire was behind the hotel. A corridor to a kitchen area was affected, but the hotel itself was not directly affected by the fire, The Phuket News was told.