Student Killed in Gas Explosion During Fire Drill

[webfact]

 

BANGKOK, June 23 (TNA) – One student was killed in a gas explosion during a fire safety drill at Rajavinit Mathayom School in Bangkok. Many people were reportedly injured.

 

 

Source: https://tna.mcot.net/english-news-1194486

 

-- © Copyright Thai News Agency 2023-06-23

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

UPDATE: POLICE said a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher that exploded during a fire drill at a secondary school in Bangkok killing one student and injuring 29 others was a reusable one but not fitted with a safety valve, Thai Rath and Matichon newspapers said.

[webfact]

11.22 a.m. Urgently rehearsing the plan and failing to become a real event

#Suddenly there was an explosion at the school. A Co2 fire extinguisher explodes during a fire drill. One student was killed and five were injured inside Ratwinit Matthayom School on Phitsanulok Road, Suan Chitralada Subdistrict, Dusit District, Bangkok. Area of responsibility of Nang Loeng Police Station

#Where's the security?

 

Picture from: join the gratitude

 

Source: Facebook

[farang9392]

Yikes. I thought about picking up one of them in HomePro the other week, think it was just shy of a grand, but I decided otherwise as I remembered I still havent installed the smoke detectors I bought six months ago ???? Are they actually that dangerous in normal cases?

[digbeth]

in these drills the cylinders are usually old ones that they got from somewhere when it was replaced with newer ones,  refilled and use repeatedly
Maybe it exploded due to the fatigued from being already old, emptied and refilled repeatedly whereas in normal installation you rarely need to have it topped off, and never emptied and refilled

Edited June 23, 2023 by digbeth

[Moonlover]

10 minutes ago, farang9392 said:

Yikes. I thought about picking up one of them in HomePro the other week, think it was just shy of a grand, but I decided otherwise as I remembered I still havent installed the smoke detectors I bought six months ago ???? Are they actually that dangerous in normal cases?

I've been involved directly and indirectly with fire extinguishers throughout my whole career and I've never heard about one exploding.

 

But one big caveat, they do have to tested and certified regularly. I wonder whether they followed the rules and procedures in this instance.

[sammieuk1]

Just what every parent doesn't want to see though fears when they send their kids off to school here a picture of their corpse covered in a sheet .. who thought it was a good idea to have gas tanks and extinguishers out in the sun ????

[Crossy]

CO₂ extinguishers wouldn't normally be used for homes they are a bit specialist and can't fight all types of fire, I'm most surprised they were being used during a student fire exercise.

 

The ones in HomePro etc. are ABC dry-powder, easy to use, messy, safe.

 

We have half a dozen of various ages scattered around along with a fire-blanket in the kitchen (put the food out and still have it edible)

[digbeth]

6 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

I've been involved directly and indirectly with fire extinguishers throughout my whole career and I've never heard about one exploding.

 

But one big caveat, they do have to tested and certified regularly. I wonder whether they followed the rules and procedures in this instance.

being tested in Thailand means the guy that sold you the extinguisher comes around once a year, looks at the gauge that the pressure is good and writes a tick in the attached paper

 

the drills are usually run by the local fire department, which probably got the extinguisher that's no longer wanted donated to them from the businesses that replaces their old extinguisher, there's probably good reason why they were replaced

[digbeth]

1 minute ago, Crossy said:

CO₂ extinguishers wouldn't normally be used for homes they are a bit specialist and can't fight all types of fire, I'm most surprised they were being used during a fire exercise.

 

The ones in HomePro etc. are ABC dry-powder, easy to use, messy, safe.

 

We have half a dozen of various ages scattered around along with a fire-blanket in the kitchen (put the food out and still have it edible)

using powder ones in a drill makes a lot of mess, from the picture seen the drills are in the school courtyard, powder would mean dust in the backstop areas which looks like classrooms 

[Crossy]

2 minutes ago, digbeth said:

using powder ones in a drill makes a lot of mess, from the picture seen the drills are in the school courtyard, powder would mean dust in the backstop areas which looks like classrooms 

 

Yeah, the ones we used in drills (long ago) were water type, no mess.

[snoop1130]

Three fire officers face charges after death during school fire drill

 

 

Three officials from the Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office will face charges of negligence over a fatal accident during a fire drill at Rachawinit School on Friday morning, in which a student was killed and about ten other people were injured.

 

Pol Lt-Gen Thiti Sangsawang, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said that a fire extinguisher, containing carbon dioxide for use during a demonstration, burst.

 

The force of the explosion flung a student about 10 metres from where he was sitting and he died at the scene, Thiti said, adding that forensics officers have collected shrapnel from the burst tank and other fire extinguishers for examination, to find out whether they meet the safety standard and who refilled them.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/three-fire-officers-face-charges-after-death-during-school-fire-drill/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-06-23

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

[snoop1130]

Bangkok Governor Expresses Sorrow over School Fire Extinguisher Blast

 

 

BANGKOK, June 23 (TNA) – The cause of the fire extinguisher explosion during a fire drill at Rajavinit Mathayom School is being investigated and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will provide compensation to the victims, said Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt.

 

The incident happended during the final session of the third fire extinguisher demonstration. The blast killed a student at the scene and injured many others.

 

Full Story: https://tna.mcot.net/english-news-1194803

 

-- © Copyright Thai News Agency 2023-06-23

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

[MikeandDow]

3 hours ago, Moonlover said:

I've been involved directly and indirectly with fire extinguishers throughout my whole career and I've never heard about one exploding.

 

But one big caveat, they do have to tested and certified regularly. I wonder whether they followed the rules and procedures in this instance.

Do you honestly think that these have been tested !!! the answer is NO

[4MyEgo]

3 hours ago, Crossy said:

The ones in HomePro etc. are ABC dry-powder, easy to use, messy, safe.

Thanks for that, we have 2 which are probably 5 years old and never used thankfully, although was starting to worry when I read this article.

 

We also have smoke detectors, so in any event, I would hope to evacuate the family first before attempting to extinguish any potential fire, failing that the insurance company can pay to replace the house and the contents.

[Crossy]

37 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Thanks for that, we have 2 which are probably 5 years old and never used thankfully, although was starting to worry when I read this article.

 

We also have smoke detectors, so in any event, I would hope to evacuate the family first before attempting to extinguish any potential fire, failing that the insurance company can pay to replace the house and the contents.

 

We replace ours after 5 years or so, buy a couple of new ones then move the older ones to the "less flammable" locations.

 

The oldest ones I let the grandkids use to put out a couple of "fires" (smash a couple of pallets with half a litre of diesel to help things along). We have a large garden so the mess isn't an issue but it teaches them (and the Missus) what these things sound and feel like. It's also enormous fun!

 

EDIT Even the oldest ones have never failed to function as expected, so they're probably good for 10+ years provided the pressure gauge is still in the green. But at a grand or so a pop ...

 

EDIT 2 I would also recommend a fire-blanket for the kitchen too, better than the classic damp-towel and doesn't make to remains of the food inedible.

 

[webfact]

One student dies, several injured during fire drill at Bangkok school

 

One student was killed and several others were injured when a fire extinguisher burst during a fire evacuation drill, being held this morning (Friday) at the Rachawinit High School on Phitsanuloke Road in Bangkok.

 

Anusorn Pongkesa, an emergency worker, said after the incident that he suspects that the fire extinguisher tank was old and had been exposed to hot sunlight for hours.

 

Another emergency worker from the Ruamkatanyu foundation, Anyawut Phoampai, said that fire extinguisher cylinders are usually equipped with a valve, which will automatically activate if the pressure inside the tank gets too high.

 

He said there might be have been a technical problem with the mechanism, resulting in the tank bursting.

 

The deceased and other injured students were rushed to the nearest hospital, as police from Nang Lerng police station arrived at the school to investigate the incident.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/one-student-dies-several-injured-during-fire-drill-at-bangkok-school/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-06-24

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

 

[webfact]

Update: Fire Extinguisher That Exploded Did Not Have A Safety Valve
by TNR Staff

 

The fire extinguisher that exploded at Rajavinit Mathayom School. Photo: Thai Rath

 

POLICE said a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher that exploded during a fire drill at a secondary school in Bangkok killing one student and injuring 29 others was a reusable one but not fitted with a safety valve, Thai Rath and Matichon newspapers said.

 

Metropolitan Police Chief Pol. Lt. Gen. Thiti Saengsawang said it was likely that staff from the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department who were showing fire-fighting techniques to the students and teachers of Rajavinit Mathayom School in Dusit district had filled more gas and placed the extinguisher in the sun with the heat causing the pressure to expand and as there was no safety valve it then exploded.

 

The blast occurred during the second of three rounds of fire-fighting training undertaken by this department.

 

However during the second session the fire extinguisher exploded while some students were participating in the demonstration killing the sixth grade male student and injuring five other students with one of them in serious condition with wounds on his arms and legs.

 

Full story: https://thainewsroom.com/2023/06/23/update-fire-extinguisher-that-exploded-did-not-have-a-safety-valve/

 

-- © Copyright  THAI NEWSROOM 2023-06-24

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

[SAFETY FIRST]

14 hours ago, webfact said:

Co2 fire extinguisher explodes during a fire dril

Yikes. 

 

OMG, Safety equipment exploding killing people. 

 

How sad, what the hell is going on with these idiot's ????

[Jonathan Swift]

14 hours ago, farang9392 said:

Yikes. I thought about picking up one of them in HomePro the other week, think it was just shy of a grand, but I decided otherwise as I remembered I still havent installed the smoke detectors I bought six months ago ???? Are they actually that dangerous in normal cases?

Absolutely not. I've never even heard of an actual case of this happening and I'm 66 years old. These  are supposed to be inspected on a regular basis, at least in civilized countries, and changed out when necessary. Very likely it was long out of date and had corroded at the seams or at the valve. Just buy from a reputable supplier and check the brand name. Personally I would trust Homepro. 

[Jonathan Swift]

14 hours ago, digbeth said:

in these drills the cylinders are usually old ones that they got from somewhere when it was replaced with newer ones,  refilled and use repeatedly
Maybe it exploded due to the fatigued from being already old, emptied and refilled repeatedly whereas in normal installation you rarely need to have it topped off, and never emptied and refilled

Metal fatigue, faulty valve, over pressurized, etc. 

[Martyjustice]

Thailand home of “Safety First (Last)”.  CO extinguisher are old and outdated but still work.  In countries where safety is a concern there are inspections one extinguishers visually yearly. Dumped and recharged at 6 years. Dumped and pressure tested to 200% at 12 years. 
My bet is that this hasn’t been looked at in 25 years. 
Was in the new Ubon government building, passport office. Watched the smoke detector, not blinking. Looked over at the fire pull station, pulled and not reset. Tells me the whole system is turned off. Will these people ever learn. NO. 

 

[Jonathan Swift]

14 hours ago, Moonlover said:

I've been involved directly and indirectly with fire extinguishers throughout my whole career and I've never heard about one exploding.

 

But one big caveat, they do have to tested and certified regularly. I wonder whether they followed the rules and procedures in this instance.

You're right. I never heard of it either, probably because 99.999% of them ARE tested and certified regularly. I remember seeing the inspection tags on them at school when I was a kid. I think rules were probably broken in this case, it would take a lot of pressure to split one of these open like a can of sardines. What a sad thing. A lot of people must be distraught over this.

[Jonathan Swift]

6 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

 

Ordinarily sunlight would pose no risk whatsoever, this tank must have been grossly over pressurized, and whether the sun triggered it or simply someone handling it, it was a bomb waiting to go off. Whoever said that about it being out in the sun was speculating and didn't know the facts, nor do we. 

[HappyExpat57]

15 hours ago, Moonlover said:

I've been involved directly and indirectly with fire extinguishers throughout my whole career and I've never heard about one exploding.

 

But one big caveat, they do have to tested and certified regularly. I wonder whether they followed the rules and procedures in this instance.

Same thing with scuba cylinders. They have to be stress tested on a regular basis, and if they fail, a big ol' hole is drilled into the side to avoid this very kind of thing.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

POLICE said a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher that exploded during a fire drill at a secondary school in Bangkok killing one student and injuring 29 others was a reusable one but not fitted with a safety valve

Oh dear.... 

[mfd101]

Only in Thailand (or any other Third World country). Attending school is like visiting the Titanic.

[flexomike]

16 hours ago, Crossy said:

CO₂ extinguishers wouldn't normally be used for homes they are a bit specialist and can't fight all types of fire, I'm most surprised they were being used during a student fire exercise.

 

The ones in HomePro etc. are ABC dry-powder, easy to use, messy, safe.

 

We have half a dozen of various ages scattered around along with a fire-blanket in the kitchen (put the food out and still have it edible)

where did you get the fire blanket, wife has had a few fires in the kitchen and one she got burned pretty bad when she tried removing the pan

[Crossy]

1 minute ago, flexomike said:

where did you get the fire blanket, wife has had a few fires in the kitchen and one she got burned pretty bad when she tried removing the pan

 

It was a while back but I think it came from MegaHome, it was an impulse purchase, saw them, thought it was a good idea, bought one.

 

Plenty on Lazada.

 

 

[sammieuk1]

2 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Ordinarily sunlight would pose no risk whatsoever, this tank must have been grossly over pressurized, and whether the sun triggered it or simply someone handling it, it was a bomb waiting to go off. Whoever said that about it being out in the sun was speculating and didn't know the facts, nor do we. 

Can you see sunlight in the picture and in other media because I can ????

[youngster30uk]

3 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Absolutely not. I've never even heard of an actual case of this happening and I'm 66 years old. These  are supposed to be inspected on a regular basis, at least in civilized countries, and changed out when necessary. Very likely it was long out of date and had corroded at the seams or at the valve. Just buy from a reputable supplier and check the brand name. Personally I would trust Homepro. 

No safety valve apparently