Fire broke out at a footwear factory in Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan on Tuesday night, causing damage estimated at over Bt100 million. An inspection on chemical residues is underway.
At one point the whole factory compound was ablaze, fuelled by large quantities of chemicals and gas stored in tanks there. It took two hours for firefighters to bring the blaze under control at about 10.30 pm.
It is thought that an electrical short circuit in machinery ignited the conflagration, before spreading to footwear raw materials, which are all highly flammable.
The authorities are currently looking into whether there are chemical residues and toxic substance contaminated in the air. An initial assessment revealed the fire would not release hazardous chemicals into the environment like the fire at Ming Dih Chemical factory back in early July.
An initial survey of the damage revealed that all the buildings and machinery were damaged at an estimated cost of at least Bt100 million.
Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service