A fire spread across roughly two kilometres of a newly formed sand island in the Mekong River near the Thai-Lao border in Nakhon Phanom on 18 July. Strong winds drove the blaze for more than seven hours, prompting local authorities on the Thai bank to deploy fire engines in case embers reached riverside homes.
The fire began during the afternoon on Don Sai island, near Hat Sai Thong in Ban Lao Noi, Moo 9, Phra Klang Thung subdistrict, That Phanom district. It later spread in the direction of Ban Nong Hoi, Moo 6, That Phanom Nuea subdistrict, also in That Phanom district.
Fire crews watch Thai riverbank
That Phanom municipality sent fire engines to monitor the riverbank. Its purpose was to allow a rapid response should flames or sparks blow across to the Thai side and threaten residents' homes.
A 67-year-old Ban Nong Hoi resident known as Uncle Maem, who works as a fisherman, said he first noticed smoke rising at about 2pm. He did not initially think it was unusual.
By shortly before 6pm, however, the smoke had grown heavier. At 8.30pm, he said the flames spread rapidly as the wind strengthened.
New sand island covered in grass
The island has only recently emerged through sand deposits and is about two kilometres long. No residents from either the Thai or Lao side use it for farming, as the sandy ground is difficult to cultivate. It is also densely covered with grass and unsuitable for crop rotation.
Islands in the middle of the Mekong have long had border significance. It linked their status to the Siam-France Treaty of R.S. 112 (B.E. 2483), under which Siam, now Thailand, was required to cede territory on the left bank of the Mekong and all islands and rapids in the river to France.
As a result, most Mekong islands along the modern border are now regarded as belonging to neighbouring countries, according to the report.
Pictures courtesy of Daily News
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19 July 2026
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