Fire engulfs upholstery factory in Samut Prakan
Police forensic officers investigated the scene of a fire on Saturday night that damaged a small factory manufacturing car-seat upholstery in Samut Prakan province.
Edited kPolice suspect the fire was caused by a short circuit, but were awaiting confirmation from forensic officers, said Pol Lt-Colonel Nipon Nitiporn of the Bang Kaew Police Station.
The fire broke out at 9.30pm at the two-storey building of K Autoseat Limited Partnership in Soi King Kaew 41 in Tambon Rachathewa in Bang Phli district.
As the facility contained more than a tonne of flammable PVC materials and padding foam sheets for car seat upholstery, it took fire-fighters more than 40 minutes to bring the blaze under control. By that time, the fire had engulfed the whole building including 30 machines there. The blaze also caused damage to the adjacent house.
Factory owner Kittichai Poksanit, 56, said he was sitting at a house near the factory when he suddenly heard a loud explosion sound. By the time he ran to check the factory, he saw the fire ravaging piles of PVC material and padding foam sheets to make upholstery for bus seats.
He said he and some workers quickly moved vehicles that were parked in the building to a safer spot and sprayed water on the fire but couldn’t extinguish it so he called police.
Kittichai said the damage was estimated at at least Bt1 million.