There’s never a dull moment in Pattaya and last night was no exception.  Reports of fire at an art shop near the Welcome Plaza Hotel caused police to close off Pattaya 2 Road right at the busy intersection [...]]]>

Pattaya 2 Road was closed down last night because of a fire at Welcome Plaza

There’s never a dull moment in Pattaya and last night was no exception.  Reports of fire at an art shop near the Welcome Plaza Hotel caused police to close off Pattaya 2 Road right at the busy intersection of South Pattaya Rd. The event happened around 9:45 pm on Thursday night and traffic wasn’t restored until 10:30 pm.

Punters with their Pattaya girlfriends in toe were perplexed by the closing. Ordinarily, Pattaya 2 is the main thoroughfare heading north to the hotels. The intersection where the road was blocked is usually a good spot to hop on a baht bus with a Pattaya girl and head for home.

A crowd gathered to watch the action at the Welcome Plaza Hotel

Tourists were left with their mouths hanging open, not knowing which way to go or where to head. Most tourists are familiar with the north/south route that the baht buses normally take. But with the closure, people were reluctant to take the more adventurous detour routes, not knowing where they might end up.

Traffic was diverted east on South Pattaya Road which quickly became a mess. Most punters ducked into nearby beer bars to await the street’s reopening.

Meanwhile, fire trucks and police were dispatched to the art shop near Welcome Plaza to fight the blaze. There was quite a commotion in front of the hotel. Apparently, a lot of merchandise was destroyed in the fire before firefighters were able to gain control. Fortunately, no one was injured in the mishap and the street was reopened allowing traffic to resume its normal pattern.

Pattaya firefighters were quick to arrive at the scene.