Terrified tourists fled when a fire ripped through a bar in the Thai 'Sin City' of Pattaya on Monday lunchtime.

The blaze started on the first floor of the building housing the 'Big Moose Pattaya' bar before spreading to the rooms above - trapping several people living in the apartment block.

Fire crews arrived and brought the flames under control before evacuating the residents. A number were taken to Pattaya City Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Investigators found the bar downstairs had been gutted by the inferno. While the apartments on the floors above had suffered smoke damage.

A building caretaker said that she was sleeping on the fifth floor when her phone rang, informing her of a fire downstairs.

She said she ran downstairs and saw thick black smoke before rushing outside and seeing firefighters working to stop the fire.

Officials in Thailand believe a short circuit in the bar caused the fire.