AYUTTHAYA -- An explosion completely destroyed a building used for the production and storage of firecrackers in Uthai district on Sunday afternoon, but nobody was hurt.
Udomsak Khaonuna, chief of the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office, said the explosion occurred at a 4 x 10 metre factory at Moo 2 village of tambon Kho Chang.
The explosion was followed by a fire that raged and completely burnt down the building. The fire was brought under control in about one hour. Nobody was hurt as it was a holiday.
The damage was initially assessed at 6 million baht.
Ayutthaya governor Prayoon Rattanaseni ordered the area to be declared off-limits. The factory owner was ordered to suspend operations for 30 days to allow authorities to find the cause of the explosion and check whether the factory had strictly followed safety standards.
Somkhoi Chantarin, 70, the factory owner, said he had had a licence to produce firecrackers for 22 years.
Excessive heat might have been the cause of the explosion, he said.