TRAT: An investigation is underway to determine the cause of a fire which broke out at Soneva Kiri Koh Kood, a luxury resort on Koh Kut in this eastern province, early on Sunday.
Pol Col Nakrit Jairakrian, superintendent of Koh Kut police, said investigators have questioned witnesses while forensic experts gathered evidence at the scene.
Dechathorn Chan-ob, chairman of the Koh Kut tambon administrative organisation, said he was alerted about the fire at the six-star resort at 5.45am on Sunday.
By the time the fire crews arrived, the blaze had spread through the main building and three adjacent buildings, which were made out of wood. The fire crews managed to save a fourth building, but the other three were extensively damaged.
Pol Col Nakrit said that two guests were injured while fleeing the fire.
One man broke a bone in his back while fleeing the blaze, and one of his children was also injured while escaping.
They were rushed to a hospital for treatment, and the family returned to Bangkok on Sunday afternoon.
The incident raised questions about the resort's safety precautions, to which the resort responded by posting a statement on its website.
According to the statement, the fire began in Villa 63, noting the fire did not spread to other parts of the island or resort.
The resort will stay open, as its restaurants and other villas remain unaffected, the statement said.
"Our fire and safety protocols are specially adapted to reflect its forest location," it said.
"We have highly trained onsite fire teams, who, along with our full operational team, undergo regular fire safety drills -- it was their efforts, along with our strong operational systems, which brought the blaze quickly under control, without spreading to other villas and areas in the resort," it said.
The hotel bills itself as a "secluded eco-luxury resort" with advertised prices starting around 48,000 baht per night for two guests.
