A 22-wheel trailer truck carrying 15 tonnes of rubber scrap caught fire near a gas station, causing significant damage and triggering a substantial emergency response. Five fire trucks were dispatched to control the blaze, which erupted around 4.05am today.
Police received a report of the fire from Apivat Sinpru, an investigator at the Thammasala Police Station. The incident occurred in front of the Siam Gas station on Boromratchachonnani Road, Sala Thammasop Sub-district, Thawi Watthana District, Bangkok. Firefighters arrived promptly and began efforts to extinguish the fire.
The scene of the incident was on the outbound side of Boromratchachonnani Road, a three-lane motorway. The 12-wheel trailer, registered 70-7950 Surat Thani, was fully loaded with rubber scrap and was engulfed in flames. The fire was so intense that authorities had to close five lanes of the road, including both the motorway and parallel lanes.
The fire is believed to have started due to a locked brake on the trailer, which caused friction and led to a tyre explosion. The rapid spread of the flames consumed the entire trailer.
Firefighters managed to control the blaze within approximately 20 minutes, preventing it from reaching the nearby gas station. However, the entire trailer was destroyed. About 30 metres away, the 10-wheel Isuzu Deca truck, registered 70-7949 Surat Thani and also loaded with rubber scrap, was parked in the far-left lane.
Somchai, the 36 year old truck driver, explained that he had picked up the 15 tonnes of rubber scrap from Sikhiu District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, and was en route to a rubber factory in Surat Thani Province, reported KhaoSod.
“When I reached the location, I felt the truck was struggling to move, as if the brakes were stuck. Shortly after, I heard a loud explosion from the left rear tyre, followed by flames that quickly spread to the rubber scrap. I immediately detached the truck head and drove it away from the trailer. Moments later, the entire trailer was engulfed in flames,” Somchai recounted.
Initial assessments by police suggest that the locked rear brake caused the friction, leading to the fire. Further inspections are necessary to evaluate potential damage to the nearby elevated parallel bridge, as the fire burned close to it for over 15 minutes, possibly affecting the rubber surface and structure.
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