The fire at a chemical factory outside Bangkok, billowing toxic gas into the air, has affected 80,000 people.
An explosion at the Ming Dih Chemical polystyrene factory in Samut Prakan, just outside Bangkok, led to a chemical fire that has taken as many as 25 hours to put out.
A volunteer firefighter was killed and more than 60 people were injured, including a dozen emergency responders, when a second explosion occurred at the factory, officials said.
Firefighters continue to battle the fire and keep the flammable chemical styrene monomer from reigniting, but flames broke out again and burned for around an hour late Tuesday.
It took firefighters more than 24 hours to initially extinguish the blaze at the Ming Dih factory. The blast could be heard for kilometers and even shattered windows nearby homes, The Associated Press said.
"At first it felt like lightning. After that, I heard something drop loudly, and for a while the house started shaking like there was an earthquake," Baitong Nisarat, a resident who lives near the factory, said.
Ming Dih is owned by a Taiwan company. Residents in Samut Prakan province who live within a five-kilometer radius were being evacuated over fears of toxic fumes from burning chemicals and the possibility of another explosion, officials said.
More than 30 firetrucks, as well as helicopters, were mobilized, according to the Bangkok Post. Some 70 houses were damaged, local disaster officials said.
A school and a government office were set up as temporary evacuation facilities as rescue teams continued to search for survivors.
Police questioned the factory manager during the initial investigation of the cause of the explosion.
According to the manager, he and eight employees were woken from their sleep on the site by a strong chemical smell and fled just before the explosion, District Police Chief Maj. Gen. Chumpol Poompuang said.
Ming Dih is located around 4.8 kilometers from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport. Airport officials said flights and operations were not affected by the explosion.
Meanwhile, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights called on the Thai government to provide the public with more information on the chemicals that had been released, including findings on possible contamination, AP said.
