Officials are suspecting arson for the recent fires engulfing chemical and industrial waste warehouses in Phachi district, Ayutthaya, according to Jullapong Thaveesri, the outgoing director-general of the Industrial Works Department. This is due to evidence from a previous fire at one of the affected warehouses, also attributed to arson. 

 

In the last three months, three fires have occurred at these warehouses. Pol Maj-Gen Watcharin Phusit, head of the Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division, said arrest warrants for the warehouse owners would be sought, citing potential charges of illegal possession of hazardous chemicals and management of industrial waste. 

 

Team of firefighters contained the blazes at two of the five warehouses on Wednesday, with about 50 fire trucks involved in the operation. They faced difficulties due to the harsh smell from the burning chemicals. 

 

Following the fires, Phachi sub-district's municipality announced their district hospitals' temporary closure due to high levels of airborne chemical residue. As a substitute, a field hospital was established at Kok Muang Temple, treating 28 patients, including nine with eye and throat irritations. 

 

As a part of their swift response, the Ayutthaya medical emergency operations centre evacuated hospital patients and screened around 600 people living near the fire site, with 74 experiencing mild eye irritations and nausea. 

 

Despite havoc, 26 people sheltered in an evacuation centre have returned home after their communities were declared safe. Tap water has also been deemed safe for consumption.

 

Picture courtesy of Naewna

 

-- 2024-05-04

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Maybe someone is acting as a pyrotechnic whistle-blower... weren't these premises illegal?

If the respective Government Departments had been doing their correct inspections just about all these fires would have been avoided.