WITH the massive fire at the foam and plastic pellets factory now extinguished people living beyond one-kilometre radius of this gutted plant have been allowed to return home from 5 p.m. today (July 7) but King Kaew Soi 19-25 are still under control, Amarin TV said.
Samut Prakan Governor Wanchai Kongkasem said King Kaew road will also be reopened to traffic at 5 p.m. while all factories beyond one-kilometre radius of Ming Dih Chemical Company’s factory have been allowed to reopen tomorrow.
The Pollution Control Department said chemical vapour measurements from 9 to 10 a.m. this morning did not detect styrene and formaldehyde within the factory. In the area in front of the factory no styrene was found but 0.007 ppm of formaldehyde was traced but this level is safe for humans.
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Checks at three points in communities within one to two-kilometre radius of the factory also did not find traces of these vapours.
Meanwhile investigation into the violent blaze has been launched with the factory manager and some workers as well as some of those who got injured but are now in a better condition being questioned and police are satisfied with their accounts.
However as the factory compound is still very hot, police and Science Ministry experts cannot not yet go in to thoroughly check the compound and the gutted equipment.
Firefighters had to dash to put out another fire at a body care product factory within Lat Krabang Industrial Estate last evening with this too being a tough blaze to extinguish as there were large amounts of alcohol and thinner stored within, TV Channel 7 said.
It took an hour for approximately a hundred firemen and 30 fire trucks to put out the blaze at Floral Manufacturing Group’s factory. Within were various products such as shampoo, soap, shower gel and body lotion as well as alcohol and thinner.
They had to be extremely cautious because the structure of the single-storey building got damaged in the lengthy fire and could have collapsed.
The fire erupted just as workers were about to leave for home at the end of their shift. The fire alarm went off and they tried to put out the blaze with fire extinguishers but when this did not work dashed for safety as there was around 100-200 litres of alcohol there.
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Above and below: The gutted Ming Dih Chemical Company.
Home Page: Fire raging at Floral Manufacturing Group’s factory. All photos: Amarin TV
