Explosion, Fire at Port and Storage Terminal Kills One

At least one person was killed and four others were injured after an explosion caused a major fire broke out at a chemical storage tank in an Eastern Thailand, Rayong, industrial park Thursday, local news sources reported.

The fire in Mab Ta Phut Industrial Estate, first reported in the morning, was contained more than six hours later. Fire workers estimated it might take more than 10 hours to be able to fully extinguish the flames, according to the Rayong province’s public relations department.

About 400 workers and residents have been evacuated to a temporary shelter, the department said.

Officials said the tank, which has a storage capacity of 2,500 cubic meters, belongs to the Mab Ta Phut Tank Terminal company, which operates a commercial port and storage terminal for petrochemical products. The tank contained Pyrolysis gasoline, a mixture of chemicals commonly used in gasoline blending.

Videos and photos from the scene show a huge plume of black smoke and raging fire engulfing a white tank that was standing close to several others.

The cause of the explosion and fire remains under investigation, as authorities from the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office of Rayong Province, the Pollution Control Department, and the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) launch a thorough inquiry into the incident.

The company is investigating the cause of the fire as well and will implement measures to prevent it from happening again. It expressed its condolences and said the company is ready to provide compensation to those affected.

In 2021, Mab Ta Phut Tank Terminal was ordered to cease operations temporarily after another one of its storage tanks erupted and caught fire, which caused three deaths and two serious injuries, which occurred when the tank was being cleaned.