Two vehicles were destroyed by the fire.

The blast took place at about 12.30pm. Ten fire trucks later rushed to the scene. A portion of Sukhumvit Road, on which the gas station was located, was also closed down and the area cordoned off for safety reasons.

All of the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they were being treated for burns.

Two of the injured, Uten Ratchasee, 43, and Komsan Kanpai, 71, worked at the petrol station. Duangden Daosoong-noen, 27, and Apirat Sanghem, 27, were working on the tank at the time of the blast.

Vejayan Kunawiriyasiri, a 55-year-old witness, said a Volvo sedan that was filling its tank had caused the blast."The fire rapidly engulfed the vehicle and spread to the underground petrol tank. When I saw what happened, I ran for my life," he said.

Vejayan had been hired to dig the ditch so the maintenance team could reach its underground petrol tank. "Right after I sped off, I heard a bang. When I looked back, there were piles of rubble," he said.

The blast did not harm the driver of the Volvo, Paijit Nak-ek, who remained safe inside his car. Jiranan Nualpan, an engineer who was not at the scene when the explosion occurred, also escaped harm.

Rayong Energy Office official Apichai Kiatkul suggested that because the petrol station had failed to cease operations while it worked on its tanks, it could be faulted for recklessness. The fire reportedly started when Paijit started his car's engine after his tank had been filled.

The Nation

Rayong