Firefighters rescued a Kuwaiti tourist who was locked in his room while a fire ripped through his apartment in Thailand.

Officers responded to the blaze that broke out on the second floor of the four-storey Sunee Apartment in Pattaya City at 10 pm on August 20.

The crew used a ladder to evacuate people trapped on the second storey, including the Kuwaiti holidaymaker who was sleeping when the fire started.

The flames were brought under control in 30 minutes with no one injured, authorities said. It was believed to have started from a malfunctioning electric skillet left plugged in.

The apartment manager said he went to inspect after a tenant smelled smoke from a second-floor room. He called the local fire department upon finding the room already engulfed in smoke and fire.

Firefighter Natthaphon Nakkaraphiban said: 'When we were notified of the fire, we hurriedly brought in our forces to put it out. At first, there was no response when we checked for people trapped inside.

'It was only later that we learned a person was still sleeping inside, so we broke the lock to help him escape.'