SAMUT PRAKAN, June 27 — After four long hours, authorities were still unable to control a blaze at one of the plastic pellet factories in Bang Pu Industrial Estate, Samut Prakan province, as concerns rose of chemical contamination in the air and surrounding environment.
More than 10 fire trucks dispatched to douse the raging fire had been at the scene for more than four hours, yet the blaze raged on.
The fire was sparked within a large warehouse of a Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) factory of Bangpoo Intermodal Systems Co, Ltd (BISCO), which is located within the Bang Pu Industrial Estate, block 13B.
The fire broke out at around 8.30am within the second cargo warehouse of BISCO, which is a one-storey building stacked with sacks of LDPE and various barrels of chemical substances.
Witnesses claimed they heard an explosion, before the blaze started to spread quickly within the area, causing plumes of black smoke and raging flames to rise up into the sky intermittently.
Up until now, officials were still unable to put the raging fire under control.
First ha d reports said there are no casualties, while the Department of Pollution Control has dispatched its authorities to closely follow up on the situation for fear of chemical contamination within the area that could cause harm to local residences and the environment.
BISCO spans an area of around 23 rais within the Bang Pu Industrial Estate, and the company stores chemical substances and pesticides within their warehouses.
There are a total of 419 factories in Bang Pu Industrial Estate on 5,417 rais piece of land, employing over 58,000 workers.
