There are ongoing forest fires in the northern provinces of Thailand, which are producing thick smoke, while firefighters from the Forest Department and Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation are working to manage them.
At the same time, the Pollution Control Department has stated today that the levels of PM2.5 in nearly all northern provinces have gone beyond the safe limit, with the most severe levels reported in Wiang Tai sub-district in Pai district of Mae Hong Son, where PM2.5 was measured at 99.9µg/m³.
Fires are burning in Mae Chaem and Mae Wang districts, particularly in Mae Win sub-district, which is a popular tourist destination for rafting, in Chiang Mai province. Officials say that the fires are not yet under control, but firefighters are working to prevent them from spreading.
The governor of Lampang province held an urgent meeting today with relevant agencies to discuss preventing fires from spreading to Phra Bat Mountain and arranging for the installation of ten surveillance cameras to monitor the situation.
Volunteers have also been deployed to establish checkpoints to stop locals from entering the area to search for forest products.
