More than 19,000 of the 44,000 fire extinguishers, distributed by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to communities, district offices, volunteer units and public disaster prevention and mitigation offices in the capital, are in a bad condition and need to be replaced.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Tavida Kamolvej said city officials checked all the fire extinguishers, to make sure that they are safe and in working condition, after an accident in early June at Rachawinit School, in which one student was killed and several others were injured when a fire extinguisher burst during a fire drill.

She said all the extinguishers found to be in a poor condition have been recalled and are being sent to the BMA’s Office of Environment to be destroyed.

The other 26,000 extinguishers, which are in a working condition and safe, will be tagged with a QR Code and details of when they were last inspected and where they are kept will be recorded.

Meanwhile, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the BMA has already placed an order for 10,000 new fire extinguishers to replace the ones which failed to pass the inspection.

He said extinguishers in communities must be checked regularly, adding that the accident at the school should be a wake-up call to take proactive action to ensure the safety of all fire extinguishers.