BANGKOK: More than 300 vehicles were damaged in a fire on Tuesday (March 18) night at an impound lot behind the customs checkpoint at the Second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot district of Tak province.
Officers at Mae Sot police station were alerted of the fire at 7.30pm and rushed to investigate.
By that time, the blaze in the open-air lot surrounded by metal fencing had already spread, torching parked vehicles and setting off periodic explosions as gas tanks blew.
Several fire trucks from Mae Sot and nearby districts were called to extinguish the fire.
Firefighters spent over two hours controlling the blaze, which damaged over 300 vehicles from about the 1,000 parked in the lot.
A customs official said that all the vehicles are used cars imported from Japan and earmarked for export to Myanmar.
The exporters however had to suspend their operations due to frequent fighting in Myanmar that left bridges destroyed and several roads closed.
These vehicles had been parked at the border beyond the period specified by the Customs Department and were therefore confiscated and moved to the impound lot as evidence, where they had remained for several years, the official said.
He added that the department earlier held an auction but there was no interest due to high starting prices. Another auction with reduced starting prices was planned for the near future.
Forensic police are investigating the scene to determine the cause of the fire. - The Nation/ANN
