Samut sakhon: Fire under control at a rubber factory in Samut Sakhon Province, fire originated near an oil pipeline, fears building collapse after intense fire.
According to Thai News Agency, the aerial view shows the scene of the incident, which is a large building covering an area of approximately 3-4 rai in Ban Ko Subdistrict, Mueang District, Samut Sakhon Province. The building belongs to a company engaged in the manufacturing and distribution of rubber products. Officials had to mobilize more than 20 water trucks from the Ban Ko Subdistrict Administrative Organization and nearby areas to spray water to contain the intense fire. Black smoke billowed into the sky and there were occasional explosions.
The fire started at the oil pipeline used in the production process in the factory. Due to the flammable fuel and the large amount of rubber products already produced inside, the fire spread quickly until the building began to collapse. There were reports of two minor injuries, one factory employee and one firefighter. It took officers more than two hours to control the fire to a limited area, but the fire was not completely extinguished because inside there were machinery used in the production process, flammable raw materials, and a large amount of finished rubber products, which are good fuels. Therefore, water had to be continuously sprayed to maintain it while firefighters brought equipment inside to put out the fire. In addition, safety must be monitored from the building, which may collapse, because it was burned so intensely that almost all of it was damaged.
The workers said the fire started at the oil pipeline that goes to the machinery used in the rubber product manufacturing process, but they don't know what caused it because the machinery was not damaged. The factory engineers, machinery experts, and forensic officers will investigate to find the exact cause, while civil engineering officers will come to inspect whether the building structure is still usable. The cost of the damage is still being assessed.