Thai Police believed that fire at hotel in central Bangkok on late Thursday night likely to be caused by an electrical short circuit, Thai media reported on Friday.

Firefighters took almost two hours to control the fire which broke out around 9:40 p.m. local time of Thursday at the 18-storey Grand Mercure Park Avenue Hotel, located in Bangkok prime business area on Sukhumvit road. A Russian woman died and 21 others were injured.

Bangkok Metropolitan Police deputy commander Pol Maj-Gen Anuchai Lekbumrung said on Friday that according to the initial investigation, the fire began on the fourth floor in a function room zone and was closed at the time, adding that he believed an electrical short circuit may have been the cause of the fire, Thai News Agency reported.

Thorough investigation is underway as forensic officials would carefully inspect the scene on Friday morning to determine the cause of the fire, the officer said.

Meanwhile, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has announced the hotel as an off-limits zone, awaiting authorities to inspect the safety of the structure and the fire sprinkler system to determine whether it worked properly during the fire.