The Chokchai police station was alerted to the fire at 11am and sent fire engines to the scene on Soi Nakniwas 12 off Nakniwas Road.

The iwa Design (Thailand) factory was engulfed in flames when the fire engines arrived and firefighters took about an hour to bring the blaze under control.

Police said two workers were injured in the fire, which also damaged two motorcycles in the factory’s compound.

Witnesses told police the fire started when a worker was welding pieces of metal beside the factory, causing sparks that hit cans of paint thinner, leading to the blaze.

The manager of the factory, who was not present when the fire broke out, said his workers fled the scene after the blaze. Police have instructed him to send them in for questioning. Scientific crime detection officers have yet to determine the cause of the fire.