The cause of the blasts was not known but Army commander General Sonthi Boonyarat-glin later said the hot weather had been the cause and dismissed speculation of sabotage. Extensive examination of both sites has yet to be carried out.

The first explosion took place at around 8pm at a dump storing small-arms munitions owned by the Army's Ordnance Department. The fire and the heat later triggered explosions at a nearby dump with a stockpile of rockets and large explosives, owned by the Army's Aviation Centre.

Lt-General Theerawat Boonya-pradab, commander of the Army's Ordnance Department, said bomb disposal squads were sent into the depot to limit the damage but had to wait until the explosions stopped. No estimate of the damage was available last night.

Hundreds of military families residing near both the ammunition dumps, and civilians living in nearby areas, were evacuated. There are no reports of damage to property.

The worst explosion at an ammunitions dump occurred in Nakhon Ratchasima's Pak Chong area in 2001, when 17 people were killed.