Picture and video below from the scene.

 

At around 12:00 on September 22, a fire erupted at an industrial factory located in the Map Ta Phut district of Rayong. The fire caused a lot of black toxic smoke to drift across the area.

Rayong Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office reported the fire started inside Building 4 of Thai Plastic and Chemicals Co., Ltd., Map Ta Phut Subdistrict, Mueang Rayong District, Rayong Province,

Fire trucks from Thai Plastic and Chemicals Co., Ltd. and fire trucks from SCG Chemical Co., Ltd., were deployed to the incident.

 

 

The fire was in aVCM tank. Vinyl chloride is an organochloride,  also known as vinyl chloride monomer or chloroethene. It is a. colourless compound is an important industrial chemical, mainly used in the production of polyvinyl chloride.

 

From the initial reports from the scene, there were no injuries or deaths, and workers have safely evacuated.

 

-- 2024-09-22

 

 

 

UPDATE
 

 

The fire at 13.30 is reported to have been contained to one tank. The concern is that the smoke may affect surrounding premises.

 

Local officials are monitoring the air and have warned people close to the site to evacuate.
 

Video of the burning tank below.

-- 2024-09-22

 

 

 

The company has issued Statement No. 1 regarding the fire and smoke incident at the Thai Plastic and Chemical Factory which started due to a chemical leak.
 

The company stated that the situation is currently under control, and there are no reports of injuries or fatalities.

 

Picture courtesy: Naew Na

 

Picture courtesy: Naew Na

UPDATE
 

Fire Incident at Thai Plastic and Chemical Co., Ltd. in Rayong Under Control

 

 

Picture showing areas of possible environmental impact drawn up under the level 2 emergency status, declared at 12.25.

 

At 15.15 authorities successfully contained the fire and sealed the valve of a tank containing Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM), a hazardous chemical used in the production of plastics. The swift action by emergency responders ensured that the situation was brought under control before any major escalation.

 

The Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate Office, in collaboration with Thai Plastic and Chemical Co., Ltd., has sent officials to nearby communities to assess the impact of the incident on local residents. Those affected will be escorted to Chalerm Phra Kiat Hospital for health check-ups.

 

The company has officially lifted the emergency status, declaring the situation back to normal. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DPM) has concluded its report on the incident.

 

The authorities continue to monitor the area for any residual effects, while local residents are advised to remain vigilant.

 

-- 2024-09-22

 

 

That's a lot of toxins going up into the region.

Again???  🙄🙄🙄

Nice 👎

Good to know: No deaths or injuries.

Must be quite sizable company, having own fire brigade.

Hope it won't cause any job losses to their workers.

 

Think that smoke was my Mazda  !

Oops 

On 9/22/2024 at 8:59 AM, Georgealbert said:

The company has issued Statement No. 1 regarding the fire and smoke incident at the Thai Plastic and Chemical Factory which started due to a chemical leak.
 

The company stated that the situation is currently under control, and there are no reports of injuries or fatalities.

 

 

 

How bout the smoke and fumes released? Are they hazardous?

34 minutes ago, kwilco said:

 

 

How bout the smoke and fumes released? Are they hazardous?

Yes fumes from VCM can be hazardous and fumes from smoke are hazardous.

 

As I posted above a level 2 emergency was declared, not just for the factory but the whole industrial estate.

 

The EIC (emergency incident centre) was set up and an at risk map of areas was issued, taking into account wind direction and weather conditions. The Thai map was posted above and my translation is below.

 

The evacuation of the factory took place with staff moving to an up wind location and mobile monitoring of the areas around the site was started, using gas detection devices.

 

Air monitoring results are reported negative for VCM. Yes any smoke is hazardous and toxic, so standard procedures like shutting windows and avoiding the smoke was issued.

 

Further monitoring of the area will take place by local Rayong authorities and DDPM staff.

 

There was a lot of smoke produced by the fire, but the holding tank did not collapse and the VCM feed was isolated. The amount of emergency responders required to control the incident was relatively small and the company had an emergency action plan for this scenario.

 

I have attached a safety data sheet for VCM for reference.

 

https://www.shintech.com/UserFiles/files/Safety-Data-Vinyl-Chloride-Monomer.pdf

 

19 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

Yes fumes from VCM can be hazardous and fumes from smoke are hazardous.

 

As I posted above a level 2 emergency was declared, not just for the factory but the whole industrial estate.

 

The EIC (emergency incident centre) was set up and an at risk map of areas was issued, taking into account wind direction and weather conditions. The Thai map was posted above and my translation is below.

 

The evacuation of the factory took place with staff moving to an up wind location and mobile monitoring of the areas around the site was started, using gas detection devices.

 

Air monitoring results are reported negative for VCM. Yes any smoke is hazardous and toxic, so standard procedures like shutting windows and avoiding the smoke was issued.

 

Further monitoring of the area will take place by local Rayong authorities and DDPM staff.

 

There was a lot of smoke produced by the fire, but the holding tank did not collapse and the VCM feed was isolated. The amount of emergency responders required to control the incident was relatively small and the company had an emergency action plan for this scenario.

 

I have attached a safety data sheet for VCM for reference.

 

https://www.shintech.com/UserFiles/files/Safety-Data-Vinyl-Chloride-Monomer.pdf

 

 

Yes - I"ve been present at a couple of these fires and the smoke is scary.....my experience has been that both company and authorities tend to play it down. Especially any aftermath.