SAMUT PRAKAN: Fire gutted a warehouse at a pillow factory in Muang district and spread to two adjacent houses on Monday evening.
The fire started shortly before 6pm at a pillow factory in Soi Sapbunchai 8, tambon Bang Muang.
Ten fire engines from Muang Pak Nam Municipality and nearby local administrations were dispatched to the scene.
The fire was brought under control in about an hour, but by then had completely burned down the warehouse, along with an adjacent two-storey building with eight rooms for rent. A house on the other side of the warehouse was also damaged by flames.
The 60-year-old factory owner said workers gathering in front of the factory at the end of their shift heard a small explosion, like an electrical short circuit, inside a blower. It was followed by the fire, which spread quickly through synthetic fibers, pillow cases, already finished pillows and other materials.
He called police and firefighting units.
Damage was initially estimated at 3 million baht.
An invesigation was underway to establish the cause of the blaze.