Two men have narrow escape from hotel fire
Stephen Downey and Anthony O'Neill from Pallaskenry in Limerick were holidaying in Pattaya, south east of Bangkok when a their hotel caught fire, killing three people and leaving more than 40 people hospitalised.
"There were seven of us hanging out the balcony screaming across the street to the people in the hotel opposite I thought the show was over," said Mr Downey.
Speaking as he continued his holiday this week Mr Downey revealed that the fire broke out around midday on Christmas Eve in the High Five Hotel.
"We were in bed when I heard a woman roaring and screaming and I jumped up and ran out into the corridor there was smoke everywhere and I could not see a foot in front of me," he said. The 28-year-old Limerick man then ran back into the bedroom to get his 26-year-old friend and they both rushed back into the corridor but could not make it to the fire escape, even though it was just 15 metres away. "All I was thinking was that we haven't a hope of getting our of here, we were six floors up and the fire was starting to come up through the floors," he said.
They turned in the other direction and were then pulled into a room that had a balcony and joined five other guests on the balcony screaming for help from people in the hotel opposite.
Mr Downey said they were told then that the fire brigade would be there in 15 minutes, but it felt like an hour.
Before help arrived and the two Limerick men were plucked to safety three people died one jumped from the eight floor, someone else slipped off a balcony and another person died of inhalation.
After the fire brigade arrived, Stephen and Anthony had to wait another 40 minutes while firefighters hoisted a crane to rescue the shocked survivors.
When they eventually got back into the hotel, they found their money and passports in a safe on the bedroom floor, but their clothes were destroyed. The two return on Saturday.
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