Chemical fires still burning at deserted Rayong plant as 67 locals treated
Firefighters have managed to contain a blaze at a deserted chemical waste treatment factory in Rayong but explosions were still rocking the plant on Tuesday.
The Disaster Response Association of Thailand (DRAT) reported burning at several spots inside the compound of the Win Process Co Ltd in its Facebook update at 9am on Tuesday.
The fires showed no sign of running out of fuel as the sound of explosions continued to be heard.
The blaze broke out in a warehouse at the chemical waste treatment factory in Ban Nong Phawa village, Ban Khai district at 9am Monday and quickly spread to other storage buildings inside the compound.
Since the fires were fuelled by chemical waste, firefighters had to use foam to contain the inferno while waiting for it to burn itself out.
Rayong governor Kalchai Thepworachai held an urgent meeting of fire units in the province to oversee operations at the plant.
Kalchai told reporters on Tuesday that firefighters had managed to control the spread of fire from hotspots with foam. He predicted the fires would be doused completely later on Tuesday, enabling forensic police to gain access to the site and investigate the cause.
The governor said villages in the surrounding Tambon Bang Butr and Tambon Nongbua were affected by chemical smoke and residents were receiving emergency aid.
Sixty-seven residents have been admitted for emergency treatment of respiratory problems caused by smoke inhalation.
Win Process engaged in a 13-year legal dispute with surrounding communities over environmental pollution before the Rayong provincial court ruled in favour of the villagers on December 13, 2022. The court ordered the company to pay compensation of 20.823 million baht to clean up the pollution.
The factory previously caught fire in 2022, after which it ceased operating and reportedly left tonnes of chemical waste untreated and unattended inside its warehouse buildings.
