Fertilizer factory fire in Kanchanaburi sets ablaze over 100 paint containers
A fire broke out at a renowned fertiliser factory in Kanchanaburi province, engulfing over a hundred 200-litre paint containers. The blaze, which started at 9.30pm yesterday, January 29, was reportedly caused by burning sugarcane debris from the wind onto the storage area, igniting the containers and setting off explosions.
The inferno necessitated a response from over 30 fire trucks, with the expectation that it would take approximately 10 hours to fully extinguish.
At the scene, firefighters encountered a challenging situation as the fire raged through the stacks of paint containers, preventing them from getting close enough to effectively fight the flames. The primary strategy was to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to nearby sugarcane and cassava fields, as well as a proximity ammunition factory. Officials anticipated letting the painted fuel burn off completely, a process expected to last around 10 hours, reported KhaoSod.
The 62 year old owner of the factory, Somkid Srisongkram, explained that the paint containers, each with a capacity of 200 litres, were old iron paint containers from which the alcohol had already been removed. These containers, numbering over a hundred, were being stored by a client who rented space within the factory premises for the sole purpose of using them as fuel to incinerate waste.
Preliminary information from factory workers suggested that the fire was ignited when wind-blown flames from burning sugarcane debris came into contact with the paint containers. Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities reported.
Initial suspicions pointed towards the fire starting from local practices of burning sugarcane fields or waste that inadvertently spread to the stored paint containers, causing a rapid and intense fire. Further investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of this potentially devastating industrial fire.
In related news, firefighters bravely battled a massive blaze at a paper factory warehouse in Pathum Thani, Thailand. The inferno, which erupted early morning, consumed the structure, previously under closure orders for environmental issues. Read more about the fire at Pathum Thani’s paper factory.
