MBK Centre in downtown Bangkok today caught fire at 1:30pm on the 7th floor. The blaze occurred in a Japanese restaurant on the seventh floor of the eight-storey, 2000-shop complex.

Police initially believed the fire resulted from an electrical short circuit.

Shoppers as well as vendors were ordered to exit the building after the blaze was extinguished, but free-standing exhaust fans were installed to blow out smoke from the crowded premises as the complex has no windows for ventilation purposes, police said.

There is no official statement from the police on when the shopping centre will re-open and be given the all clear from the fire department, although doubts over the safety of the ageing buildings safety features are being risen, especially in the way the building was designed without safety in mind.