It is believed that the fatal fire at the Map Ta Phut Tank Terminal company, an affiliate of the Siam Cement Group (SCG) in Rayong province on Thursday, was not related to a similar incident in 2021.
Thammasak Sethaudom, president of SCG, said that the fire in October 2021 occurred during repair work on a chemical holding tank and was the fault of a contractor.
That fire killed two workers and left three others with serious burns, while the recent blaze resulted in the death of one employee who, according to Thammasak, died from a high fall.
He was speaking at a press conference last night, after an explosion in a pyrolysis gasoline storage tank started a fire on Thursday morning, which has now been brought under control.
Emergency teams are, however, are having to spray water and chemicals continuously, to prevent the fire from reigniting. Thammasak clarified that the fire was in only one tank, not three as previously reported.
An investigation will determine the cause of the fire, he said, adding that repairs to the damaged tank and buildings will take about two weeks.
He assured the public that water contaminated with chemicals from the firefighting effort will not be drained into nearby water sources, as the company has its own lagoons in which to hold it.
People evacuated during the fire have been allowed to return home today. Provincial environmental officials are to conduct routine tests on the water and air in and around the facility to ensure that they have not been polluted.
Meanwhile Industry Minister Pimpatra Wichaikul, who visited the scene of the fire today, said that she will call a meeting with all those concerned to discuss safety issues, after receiving a letter from an environmental group in Rayong urging a straightforward investigation into the cause of the fire.
People evacuated during the fire have been allowed to return home today and environmental officials are to conduct routine tests on the water and air in and around the facility to ensure that they have not been polluted.
