Fun-loving Thai ladies have a well-deserved reputation for telling the odd fib but their knickers rarely burst into flames as a result. For a mate of mine, however, this was all about to change.

With a night of fun in mind, he picked up a cute dancer from Nana Plaza and took her back to his hotel. In the bar, she had been quite happy to parade around naked in front of half the world. In the room, however, she was overcome with shyness. No amount of fiddling could create a lighting effect subtle enough for her.

Eventually, she created a soothing glow by slipping her lacy knickers over the wall-light. The ambiance was now judged sufficiently romantic for their tryst to begin. My friend was thrilled to discover that his date went like a train but his pleasure was short-lived. Whilst attending to the matter in hand, both had failed to notice that her undies were beginning to smoulder. Suddenly, they went up like a roman candle.

Realising the seriousness of the situation, my friend quickly disengaged and ran through the billowing smoke to the bathroom. After soaking a couple of towels, he returned to smother the blaze. Using the extractor fan, he was able to clear the air.

His fast reactions confined the damage to some scorched wallpaper and a couple of ruined towels. Feeling pleased with himself, he invited his date to resume where they left off. Though suffering a little from the effects of smoke, she reluctantly agreed. The magic had gone though, so he wrapped things up quickly.

His girl insisted on reporting the damage to reception. The staff handled things politely and didn't demand extra money. Her honesty in coming forward suggests that the fire in her pants was not triggered by a deceitful nature.