Pong, Banglamung District, Chonburi – March 5th, 2026
Firefighters from multiple local municipalities battled a blaze that broke out at a scrap metal and recycling business late Wednesday night, ultimately bringing the flames under control after about an hour and a half. No one was injured or killed in the incident.
At approximately 11:30 p.m. on March 4th, 2026, officers from the Pong Municipal Fire Department received a report of a fire at P&M Recycle Co., Ltd., located at No. 77, Moo 7, on the parallel road to Highway 36 in Pong. The company specializes in buying and processing scrap materials.
Fire crews arrived with water tankers and found intense flames engulfing a large pile of wooden pallets outside the premises. Despite initial efforts to suppress the fire, the blaze spread rapidly due to the abundance of flammable materials. Reinforcements were requested, bringing in additional fire engines and personnel from four neighboring municipalities to assist in containment.
The site covers roughly one rai (about 0.4 acres) and contained large quantities of bagged plastic bottles, paper, old gas cylinders, and used oil drums inside, with the wooden pallets stacked externally. These materials fueled the intense flames.
Acting company manager Warunee Chaloemphan, 44, told authorities that the business purchases various scrap items, and there is a dormitory at the rear housing about 4–5 workers. At the time of the fire, several employees were present on site. Workers reported hearing a sound similar to burning wood, rushed out to investigate, and discovered the pallets already ablaze. They attempted to extinguish the fire using portable fire extinguishers but were unsuccessful, causing them to call emergency services.
Firefighters worked for approximately one and a half hours to bring the blaze under control. Preliminary reports confirm no injuries occurred, though significant damage to stored materials and structures is expected.
This incident comes just days after another major fire in the region involving highly flammable wooden materials. On the evening of March 2nd, 2026, a massive blaze erupted at the Surapha Timber Shop’s sawdust storage warehouse in theNong Pla Lai sub-district, also in Bang Lamung. That fire required six fire engines and was contained after about 40 minutes to an hour, with no injuries reported. Authorities attributed the rapid spread in both cases to the presence of large quantities of dry wood and related combustible items.
Police are now investigating the cause of the P&M Recycle fire, with potential factors including electrical issues or accidental ignition among the combustible scrap items. Further details will be released as the inquiry progresses.
