Strong stench engulfs locals in wake of Ayutthaya chemical fire
Firefighters have managed to extinguish a raging blaze at a chemical warehouse in Ayutthaya province, though the strong stench of burnt chemicals can be smelt as far as 300 metres from the site.
A fire broke out on Wednesday evening and continued till the following morning at a warehouse storing 4,000 tonnes of chemicals.
Smoke and stench from the premises in Ayutthaya’s Phachi district affected several communities and households nearby and in the neighbouring Nakhon Luang district.
About 50 families were evacuated, while local residents reported hearing explosions from the burning warehouse.
Firefighters were forced to make holes in the building’s wall to spray water into the interior and later reported the discovery of an unknown acidic substance on the warehouse’s floor.
Ayutthaya governor Niwat Rungsakhon said on Thursday that there is a concern for the firefighters’ safety as several chemicals were stored at the warehouse and some are highly erosive.
Dr Panuwat Panket, a Public Health Ministry inspector general in charge of Ayutthaya, said the strong stench of burnt chemicals can be detected up to 300 metres from the site, depending on the direction of the wind.
He added that Phachi Hospital and provincial public health authorities have set up an emergency centre to deal with cases resulting from the fire. Services at the hospital have been suspended, with its in-patients shifted to other hospitals in the province or for recuperation at home.
A field hospital has been set up at Phachi’s Khok Muang Temple to treat those affected by the blaze, Panuwat said.
He added that tests conducted by the Pollution Control Department show that the air quality in neighbouring communities was “not too bad”, though readings at the warehouse showed high levels of air pollution.
Panuwat added that Ayutthaya public health officials have been dispatched to check if smoke and odour from the fire have affected vulnerable persons like children, senior citizens or people with chronic conditions. He said blood tests may be conducted in some cases.
