Midnight Explosion at Fireworks Workshop Injures Man, Damages Dozens of Rental Rooms in Samut Sakhon

A man working at a fireworks workshop caused a loud explosion that damaged dozens of rental rooms in Samut Sakhon province, injuring one person. The fireworks were suspected to be prepared for sale during the New Year festival season.

At around 22:00 on 4 Dec 2025, Lieutenant Kittiwat Suwanprasert, Deputy Investigation Officer of Krathum Baen Police Station, received a report of a fireworks explosion at a rental room in Moo 3, Om Noi subdistrict, Krathum Baen district, Samut Sakhon province. He promptly informed his superiors and proceeded to the scene with Police Colonel Phasapong Monta, Chief of Krathum Baen Police Station; Police Lieutenant Colonel Chumphon Chatsanguanchai, Deputy Chief of Police; Police Lieutenant Colonel Ronnadet Butsri, Deputy Investigation Officer; and the police investigative team.

They also coordinated with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit of Samut Sakhon Provincial Police and forensic officers from the Crime Scene Investigation division to examine the site. Additionally, they requested support from the municipal fire and rescue team of Om Noi municipality along with fire trucks, preparing to control any potential fire or urgent water needs.

The scene was a two-story rental building. In front of the rooms, debris was scattered across the floor from the fireworks blast. Evidence included materials and equipment used in small fireworks production—types that produce "whistling and popping" sounds during festivals. Items found included PVC pipes about 1 cm in diameter and 10 cm long, unfilled black powder, bundles of wooden sticks about 2-3 in length, and a device used to assemble the fireworks.

Inside the rooms, belongings were destroyed and collapsed. Numerous completed firework sticks ready for sale were found. The ceiling panels, lights, and window glass were shattered throughout the area. Glass in adjacent rooms and the lower floor on the same side were also damaged by the blast's pressure and vibrations, affecting a total of 10 rooms.

One person was injured in the incident, identified as Mr. Khwanchai, the tenant of the room, who lived there with his wife. Both worked at a nearby factory. Mr. Khwanchai suffered serious wounds to his hands and legs and burns on his body. He was treated at Vichaiwetch Om Noi Hospital. His wife was unharmed.

The landlord said the injured tenant had rented the room for over 10 years and lived there with his wife. Normally quiet and not sociable, he usually went fishing after work. The landlord was unaware that Mr. Khwanchai was secretly making fireworks, as no one had seen this before; the landlord only found out after the explosion. Other tenants also did not know because everyone separated and returned to their rooms after work.

Reviewing CCTV footage showed that at the time of the explosion, Mr. Khwanchai was standing alone in front of the room making fireworks. Then a loud explosion occurred with a flash of light. After the light faded, his wife was seen supporting him to sit on a chair and then taking him to the hospital for treatment.

The explosion damaged a total of 10 rental rooms. Fortunately, tenants in adjacent rooms were either working night shifts or had not yet returned home. The exploded fireworks were small types used to produce "whistling and popping" sounds for festive celebrations. It is believed the injured man was producing or hired to produce these fireworks for sale during the upcoming New Year festival.

A tenant living in the same rental building but in the last room upstairs said that when he returned from work and was resting, he heard a loud explosion. Initially, he thought it was an electrical transformer blowing. Upon checking, he realized it was a fireworks explosion from a tenant on the same floor, which caused him to feel shocked and scared.

After police and forensic officers collected all evidence at the scene, they planned to question the injured man and his wife. The seized materials and equipment were secured as evidence to proceed with legal action under charges prohibiting the manufacture, purchase, possession, import, trade, or sale of explosives without local authority permission, punishable by one to twenty years imprisonment and fines ranging from 2,000 to 40,000 baht. Additionally, causing explosions dangerous to persons or property carries penalties of up to seven years imprisonment and fines up to 140,000 baht, under the Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, Fireworks, and Imitation Firearms Act B.E. 2490 (1947) sections 4(3), 38, 74, and Criminal Code section 221.