Fire Charcoal Kiln Explosion Kills Cattle, Injures 71-Year-Old Farmer

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

 

A 71-year-old man in Buriram narrowly escaped with his life after a charcoal kiln exploded in the early hours of the morning of 21 April, sparking a fast-moving blaze that engulfed a cattle pen and killed two cows and an unborn calf.

 

The incident occurred in Moo 3 village, Isan Khet subdistrict, Chalerm Phra Kiat district. Mr. Samphao, the elderly farmer who was still visibly shaken by the event, said he had been making charcoal for over 40 years but had never experienced anything like this.

 

At around 01:30, Mr. Samphao was awoken by what sounded like an explosion outside his house. On inspection, he discovered flames shooting from the charcoal kiln. The fire quickly reached a nearby pile of over 400 hay bales, which then spread rapidly to the cattle pen.

 

Acting on instinct, Mr. Samphao rushed to save the animals. The pen was divided into two sections, one of which housed a heavily pregnant cow and another. Despite his efforts, he was unable to reach that section due to the intense heat and flames, sustaining burns to his back, shoulders, and legs in the process. He did, however, manage to free three other cows from the adjacent pen.

 

The two cows and the unborn calf in the second pen were burned alive. In addition to the loss of livestock, the fire destroyed valuable farming equipment, including a walking tractor and two chainsaws.

 

What baffled Mr. Samphao most was how the kiln could have exploded. He had stopped using it 15 days earlier, regularly dousing it with water, and the area had seen heavy rainfall three times since then. Despite all precautions, the fire still erupted, something he had never encountered in his decades of charcoal production.

 

His daughter, Ms. Saijai, 40, said she rushed to the scene from another house when she realised her father was in danger. She recounted how much her father loved the cattle, and how fortunate it was that he escaped the flames.

 

 

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Khaosod.

 

-- 2025-04-22

 

[Tropicalevo]

[phil2407]

Sad for the cows so guess beef on the menu for about a week