Fire causes serious damage at Linglong’s Thailand tyre plant

According to local news sources, Shandong Linglong Tyre Co. Ltd’s consumer tyre factory in Thailand has been badly damaged by fire. Six of the 15 warehouses at the LLIT Thailand facility in Chonburi province are said to have been destroyed in the blaze, which began on 1 February have allegedly caused an estimated US$40 million of damage. The manufacturing facility at the site has been temporarily closed.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, however the Bangkok Post writes that an electrical short circuit is suspected. While residents living near the facility were evacuated, it is believed there have been no casualties.

LLIT (Thailand) is the tyre maker’s first facility outside of China. Phase one of the Thailand factory project was officially inaugurated on 22 February 2014, and the company aims for an ultimate capacity of ten million passenger car tyres a year at the plant.