Blast injures four at garage in Taling Chan

Like a scene out of some action movie, explosions and flames ravaged a garage specialising in installing petrol tanks in Bangkok's Taling Chan district yesterday, injuring four people.

The incident took place at 11.30am at the triple-garage building of PR Supergas Co Ltd near Soi Boromrajajonani 28, said Taling Chan investigator Pol Lieutenant Ekkapoj Boonlom.

An initial explosion in a Mercedes-Benz parked in front of the shop spread flames to three other cars and the garage's ground floor. It took fire fighters and fire engines 30 minutes to put out the fire.

Garage owner Saranrat Reungnarongdech, 46, told police the unnamed Benz owner, who wasn't a regular customer, told her the car's fuel system had malfunctioned after he had filled up the petrol tank, so she told him to wait because none of the garage's six mechanics was available at the time.

However, the owner then opened the hood and did something that apparently caused the fuel leakage, which was followed by explosions and flames that left the car owner and three mechanics burned. Saranrat said she wasn't sure if the man was smoking while checking under the hood, because such a blast could have been caused by petrol fumes being ignited by a spark, adding that the man fled in a taxi. She urged police to locate him to take responsibility for the incident.