Garment warehouse gutted by fire
THEERAWAT KHAMTHITA
Bangkok Post, Thailand
Chiang Rai _ A fire swept through a garment warehouse in Muang district yesterday, causing around 20 million baht in damage. There were no reports of casualties in the blaze that broke out around 3.45am at Sudsiam Karntor, also known as the Chiang Rai Northern Garment factory, in the Doi Saket community of Chiang Rai municipal area.
It took firefighters one hour to bring the blaze under control
About 100 workers, most from Burma, were sleeping near the one-storey warehouse when the fire began.
The factory, on 20 rai of land, makes clothes for export to China and the US.
The fire started on the southern side of the warehouse, where raw materials were kept. Clothes and fabric stored there helped the blaze to spread.
Factory owner Kuangmiew sae Chen, 50, said the cause of the blaze was not known. All his foreign workers had work permits and lived near the fire-gutted warehouse.
Raw materials worth 20 million baht were destroyed in the fire.
The factory, which has been open for seven years, was not insured.
Police initially suspected the fire was caused by a short circuit. Forensic police will be called in to help find the cause
