Bangkok: A massive explosion at a chemical factory on the outskirts of Bangkok early Monday killed at least one person, injured dozens more and damaged scores of homes while prompting the evacuation of a wide area over fears of poisonous fumes and the possibility of additional denotations. The fire broke out at around 3 a.m. at a foam and plastic pellet manufacturing factory just outside Bangkok near Suvarnabhumi Airport, with the explosion blowing out windows of surrounding homes and sending debris raining from the air.
The blast could be heard for kilometres (miles) and surveillance footage from a nearby house captured the bright flash and boom, followed by the damage to the home and the one next door from the shockwaves. The main blaze at the Ming Dih Chemical factory had been brought under control by mid-morning, but an enormous tank containing the chemical styrene monomer continued to burn, said local disaster prevention official Chailit Suwannakitpong.
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Late in the afternoon, dense clouds of black smoke continued to billow from the site and helicopters tried to navigate close enough to dump fire retardant onto it, initially with little apparent success. Authorities said 62 people had been injured, including 12 involved in the firefighting and rescue efforts, and one person had been confirmed killed.
Styrene monomer, a hazardous liquid chemical used in the production of disposable foam plates, cups and other products, can produce poisonous fumes when ignited. Chailit said officials were trying to move all people out of the area, including doctors and patients from the neighbourhood’s main hospital where many of the casualties were initially treated, over the fear of the fumes and the possibility of more explosions.
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The chemical itself also emits styrene gas, a neurotoxin, which can immobilize people within minutes of inhalation and can be fatal at high concentrations. Last year in the Indian city of Visakhapatnam, a leak of styrene gas from a chemical factory killed 12 people and sickened more than 1,000. Authorities were carefully monitoring the air in the area around the fire and Pollution Control Department official Thalerngsak Petchsuwan urged anyone remaining in the vicinity to close their doors and windows to avoid inhaling any fumes.
“Those who breathe it in can get dizzy and vomit and it might cause cancer in the long term,” he said. Firefighters could be seen in photos from Thai media climbing through twisted steel wreckage of the complex’s warehouses to get their hoses close enough to the flames as they fought to control the blaze. The charred body of the only fatality identified so far — a male volunteer rescue worker — lay face down among the wreckage.
The area around the blast is a mixture of older industrial complexes and newer housing developments that were built after the opening of the airport in 2006. Jaruwan Chamsopa, who lives about 3 kilometres (1.8 miles) from the factory, said the loud explosion in the middle of the night broke her house’s windows, damaged the roof and caused parts of the ceiling to tumble down. She said the windows of every house on her road were broken as well.
“I was shocked when the explosion took place,” she told reporters. “I came out and saw a big fire in the sky.” She said she and her husband and mother didn’t evacuate until 8 a.m. “I didn’t realize that it would be such a dangerous chemical that I have to evacuate,” she said. “I am worried because the black smoke reached my house.” Authorities ordered the evacuation of an area 5 kilometres (3 miles) around the scene and evacuation centres were set up in a school and a government office for those forced from their homes.
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Volunteer rescue worker Anyawut Phoampai told Thailand public tv station TPBS that early efforts to find people possibly still in the factory were hampered by the time it took to bring the fire under control. “The flames are quite high so it takes quite an effort,” he said as the rescue effort was underway. He said rescuers also fanned out around the area to help people who reported being injured by falling debris.
There was no immediate word on what might have caused the fire in Bang Phli district, and the company was not reachable by phone. The initial explosion shook the terminal building at Suvarnabhumi, setting off alarms at Bangkok’s main international airport. Airport officials said in a statement that no flights had been cancelled but that it was continuing to monitor the situation and was prepared to “put in place contingency plans in case of emergency.” It said it would not compromise on safety.
AP
