An inquiry is being set up into the cause of a second fire at an electronics factory in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate, only five hours after an earlier blaze was put out on Monday evening.
Black smoke again fills the air over the APCB Electronics factory at Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate in Ayutthaya late Monday night after it was earlier brought under control. (Photo by Sunthorn Pongpao)
Udomsak Khaonoona, head of the Ayutthaya provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office, said on Tuesday that forensic officials and police will examine the APCB Electronics Co factory to establish the real cause of the fire and why it rekindled after having been extinguished.
Officials from the Industrial Works and Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Departments will inspect areas around the factory, looking for toxic chemicals or chemical residues that might possibly have caused the second fire.
The fire broke out at the five-storey factory about 11.30am on Monday, the fire alarm sending more than 900 workers inside the building fleeing for their lives.
The blaze, which started on the third floor of the building where chemical solutions for cleaning electronic circuits and electronic parts were stored, was finally declared extinguished about 6pm the same day.
But the fire erupted again about 11pm. The second to fifth floors were engulfed in flames when firefighters and police arrived at the scene. The fire spread quickly, fanned by a strong wind, before it was brought under control about 1am on Tuesday, said Mr Udomsak.
An initial inspection found the fire-gutted building had not collapsed, but there were some cracks in the walls. Authorities will look into the matter, he said.
The factory produces electronic circuits and electronic parts and is a large-scale Thai, Taiwanese and Chinese joint venture.
Authorities on Tuesday declared the fire-gutted electronics factory a fire danger zone pending the completion of the inquiry.
The provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office will coordinate with engineering teams from the Department of Public Works, Town and Country Planning and the Engineering Institute of Thailand to jointly examine the factory, said Mr Udomsak.
Meanwhile, the management of APCB Electronics factory on Tuesday announced the closure of the factory for three days until Jan 15.