BANGKOK, THAILAND – A massive fire erupted at a chemical storage tank in the Eastern Thailand industrial park, Mab Ta Phut Industrial Estate, on Thursday, resulting in one fatality and four injuries. The blaze, which began in the morning, was brought under control after more than six hours, but firefighters anticipate it could take another ten hours to completely extinguish it, according to Rayong province’s public relations department.
The department reported the evacuation of approximately 400 workers and local inhabitants to a temporary refuge. The tank involved, owned by Mab Ta Phut Tank Terminal company which operates a commercial port and a petrochemical storage terminal, has a capacity of 2,500 cubic meters. At the time of the incident, it was storing Pyrolysis gasoline, a common component for gasoline blending.
Footage and photos from the location display a vast plume of black smoke and an all-engulfing fire surrounding a white tank situated near several others.
The company issued a statement regarding the fire, stating its commitment to determining the cause of the incident and the implementation of preventative measures against future occurrences. They also expressed their condolences and readiness to compensate the victims.
Just last year, the company was obliged to temporarily halt operations when another of its storage tanks caught fire leading to three deaths and two severe injuries.