Heavy fire rages Thai industrial estate

SAMUT PRAKAN, THAILAND, June 27 (TNA) - A heavy fire broke out at the Bangpoo Industrial Estate in Bangkok's neighbouring Samut Prakan Province on Friday morning, with no casualties reported but damage initially estimated at about one billion baht. The fire broke out at around 8:30am (local time), at the second cargo warehouse of Bangpoo Intermodal Systems Co. (BISCO), an over 23-rai one-storey building stacked with sacks of plastic pellets and several barrels of chemical substances, including low density polyethylene (LDPE), totally destroying the building. Witnesses said that they heard a series of explosions and the blaze quickly spread out in the area, located at block 13B in the 5,417-rai industrial estate's compound (1 rai = 2.5 acres), causing plumes of black smoke and raging fire rising up into the sky. About 70 fire trucks were dispatched to douse the gutting blaze, but firefighters have remained unable to put out the strong fire, with rising concerns over public health and environmental impacts from the chemicals. The Department of Pollution Control, under the Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, has, thus, sent officials to closely monitor the situation to prevent and deal with negative impacts on locals' health and the environment. There are 419 factories in the Bangpoo Industrial Estate, situated in Praekkasa Sub-distric of Samut Prakan's Muang District, where about 58,000 workers are employed. According to updates reports, the firefighters have already brought the fire under control, while Permanent Secretary for Industry has ordered BISCO to halt all of its operations at the damaged plant until its structure is officially certified safe.(TNA)