Thai wildfires rage across 10 provinces in northern Thailand

[webfact]

An apocalyptic blaze threatens to engulf vast swathes of the northern Thai landscape, with an estimated 1 million rai (equivalent to 160,000 hectares) poised to succumb to wildfires between February 19 and 25, as revealed by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA).

 

The inferno’s ominous reach spans 10 provinces including Tak, Lampang, Chiang Mai, Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phitsanulok, Uttaradit, and Kamphaeng Phet.

 

GISTDA investigators point the finger at local practices, citing that the conflagration is often ignited deliberately by farmers engaging in pre-planting or post-harvest burns.

 

Most concerning is the incineration of conserved areas within national parks and agricultural zones. The agency vows to combat the blazes with rigorous measures.

Utilising satellite technology, GISTDA reports a staggering 1,532 hot spots nationwide, with 671 menacing conserved wildlife areas, 340 encroaching upon national reserved forests, and 232 threatening agricultural lands. Shockingly, even lands allocated under Sor Por Kor (a scheme granting Ministry of Agriculture land to locals) aren’t spared, with 163 sites ablaze.

 

Kanchanaburi emerges as the epicentre of this fiery crisis, boasting a disturbing 221 hot spots alone, reported The Nation.

The regional panorama paints a grim picture, with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam collectively grappling with over 4,700 hot spots, underscoring the dire magnitude of the situation.

 

In related news, a wildfire ravaged nearly 100 acres of the Samet Forest in Trat province from January 31 through February 1, with suspicions that locals secretly set the fire to forage for forest products. Despite the efforts of firefighting teams, the blaze remains uncontained and there are concerns it could spread to an adjacent 2,000-acre forest.

Thai authorities monitored the situation closely, including the safety of a nearby teachers’ residence, and have adjusted their firefighting strategy to counter the spreading flames.

 

In other news, more than 250 firefighters from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) have been deployed to the western forest complex to combat raging fires. With a whopping 1,600 hectares of forest already devastated, these brave souls are working tirelessly to prevent further destruction.

 

by Nattapong Westwood 

Photo courtesy of The Nation

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2024-02-23

 

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[No Forwarding Address]

Hope everyone is safe, my favorite part of Thailand - the North.

[worgeordie]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The agency vows to combat the blazes with rigorous measures.

I would say they are too late , I never hear of them catching any of these Arsonists,

they need police , army,rangers and volunteers ,out in the forests and hills , use

drones , anyone they find out in the forest will have to be questioned , any aronists

they catch must be given serious prison time , as a deterrent to others ,and to let

people realise this is not acceptable anymore .. 

 

regards worgeordie

[TheFishman1]

Seems like the same same happens every year around the same time TIT

[xeniv23]

I spent many years fighting wildfire in the US.  It takes a large, well trained, equipped and very costly infrastructure already in existence to stand half a chance.  I just don't see that happening here in Thailand.  Hope all are safe.  

[RayOday]

Hope all lives are spared. The Changwat governors should be held accountable. I have been to provinces in Issan where the local government and people are doing a decent job in limiting fires. How? By offering alternatives such as raising cattle. 

[spermwhale]

11 minutes ago, TheFishman1 said:

Seems like the same same happens every year around the same time TIT

What planet are you living on? It never happens in Thailand. 

[spermwhale]

10 minutes ago, xeniv23 said:

I spent many years fighting wildfire in the US.  It takes a large, well trained, equipped and very costly infrastructure already in existence to stand half a chance.  I just don't see that happening here in Thailand.  Hope all are safe.  

Thailand definitely has zero infrastructure for fighting forest fires. There is nothing in place to deal with this. 

[stix40]

If leaving a bad reviews on trip advisor in Thailand gives you a possibility of 2 years in jail 

Then these arsonists should get a minimum of life improvement or maybe hands chopped off ? 

[spidermike007]

I wonder how many of these fires were caused by sugar growers burning their crops and causing adjacent forests to catch on fire. It's tinder dry in some areas and it wouldn't take much. 

[newbee2022]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

An apocalyptic blaze threatens to engulf vast swathes of the northern Thai landscape, with an estimated 1 million rai (equivalent to 160,000 hectares) poised to succumb to wildfires between February 19 and 25, as revealed by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA).

 

The inferno’s ominous reach spans 10 provinces including Tak, Lampang, Chiang Mai, Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phitsanulok, Uttaradit, and Kamphaeng Phet.

 

GISTDA investigators point the finger at local practices, citing that the conflagration is often ignited deliberately by farmers engaging in pre-planting or post-harvest burns.

 

Most concerning is the incineration of conserved areas within national parks and agricultural zones. The agency vows to combat the blazes with rigorous measures.

Utilising satellite technology, GISTDA reports a staggering 1,532 hot spots nationwide, with 671 menacing conserved wildlife areas, 340 encroaching upon national reserved forests, and 232 threatening agricultural lands. Shockingly, even lands allocated under Sor Por Kor (a scheme granting Ministry of Agriculture land to locals) aren’t spared, with 163 sites ablaze.

 

Kanchanaburi emerges as the epicentre of this fiery crisis, boasting a disturbing 221 hot spots alone, reported The Nation.

The regional panorama paints a grim picture, with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam collectively grappling with over 4,700 hot spots, underscoring the dire magnitude of the situation.

 

In related news, a wildfire ravaged nearly 100 acres of the Samet Forest in Trat province from January 31 through February 1, with suspicions that locals secretly set the fire to forage for forest products. Despite the efforts of firefighting teams, the blaze remains uncontained and there are concerns it could spread to an adjacent 2,000-acre forest.

Thai authorities monitored the situation closely, including the safety of a nearby teachers’ residence, and have adjusted their firefighting strategy to counter the spreading flames.

 

In other news, more than 250 firefighters from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) have been deployed to the western forest complex to combat raging fires. With a whopping 1,600 hectares of forest already devastated, these brave souls are working tirelessly to prevent further destruction.

 

by Nattapong Westwood 

Photo courtesy of The Nation

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2024-02-23

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

 

Daytime the air in CM is quite ok. However, at night you can smell it. Smoke for hours because police is sleeping or drinking, not following any fire in the nearest neighbourhood. 😵‍💫

[paul1804]

Very sad for those innocent ones living in the area but this is what happens when there is no discipline, law & order is a joke. How many times have there been fire bans yet the locals ignore them and just keep lighting fires to the detriment of the region! 

I remember when we had the BS Covid virus and there was a total fire ban in Changmai, the RTP got called away on some BS mission and the locals lit dozens of fires with no retribution despite the "tough talk" from the authorities!! Just another joke! 

[NorthernRyland]

9 minutes ago, spermwhale said:

What planet are you living on? It never happens in Thailand. 

are you joking? Please tell us you're joking.

[Expat68]

Pu Po Bit mountain overlooking Loei was on fire last night.

[Dolf]

15 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Daytime the air in CM is quite ok. However, at night you can smell it. Smoke for hours because police is sleeping or drinking, not following any fire in the nearest neighbourhood. 😵‍💫

It will get worse then won't improve until after songkran.

[Card]

[Xonax]

For people with an IQ over 40, this disaster wouldn't have been hard to predict. Maybe it is karma, that the crop burning farmers will now lose their valued possessions to the wildfires. But unfortunately most victims will be innocent people.

[malibukid]

completely inept

[Xonax]

8 minutes ago, Card said:

Seems like Bangkok is on fire too. I could actually smell smoke in the air in Bangkok this morning.

[gaucan]

34 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I wonder how many of these fires were caused by sugar growers burning their crops and causing adjacent forests to catch on fire. It's tinder dry in some areas and it wouldn't take much. 

if tindr dry, then try grindr, they wont leave u dry over there  🤔

Edited February 23 by gaucan

[malibukid]

37 minutes ago, spermwhale said:

Thailand definitely has zero infrastructure for fighting forest fires. There is nothing in place to deal with this. 

get some help from California, but that would loose face.

[Dibbler]

These are human lit fires and the objective is to expand cornfields and pasture for cattle which farmers will raise and sell to China.  Unless enforcement is implemented and big agro companies reigned in there will be no forest left in a few years thus affecting water supplies across the entire north, and in the meantime people are suffering from unhealthy levels of PM 2.5.  

[newbee2022]

24 minutes ago, Dolf said:

It will get worse then won't improve until after songkran.

I have to look into my crystal ball. Then I'll tell you🥳

[worgeordie]

3 minutes ago, gaucan said:

hello geordie, u must be knew here, welcome 😂

35 years actually ,  and its NEW ....all they do is try and put fires out , no proactive measures to actually

catch the arsonists . like a lot of things here jump into action after something happens,

 

regards worgeordie 

[Kaopad999]

Same BS, different year.. 
Glad i moved away from the north when i did. Beautiful part of the country, but the  smog up there during the burning season is absolutely horrendous. 

Edited February 23 by Kaopad999

[tigerbeer]

farmers might sue u for defamation. 

[Sig]

1 hour ago, worgeordie said:

I would say they are too late , I never hear of them catching any of these Arsonists,

they need police , army,rangers and volunteers ,out in the forests and hills , use

drones , anyone they find out in the forest will have to be questioned , any aronists

they catch must be given serious prison time , as a deterrent to others ,and to let

people realise this is not acceptable anymore .. 

 

regards worgeordie

Caught one the other day in Lampang. Only saw it on Thai news though.... Some older guy. I didn't pay attention to see if they said why he was setting the fires or not, but they had him in handcuffs and showed his rubberbanded bundles of matches he had with him....

[huangnon]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

An apocalyptic blaze threatens to engulf vast swathes of the northern Thai landscape

 

Erm, it's just the same slash 'n burn farming practices annually in the North of this country.. No one except the farm owners or landowners enjoy it very much, but.

 

Looks like the AI bot that writes this crap is set to #Disaster Movie mode.

[alien365]

I cant help that I feel more sorry for the wildlife than the people in these regions.

[Kaopad999]

19 minutes ago, gaucan said:

if tindr dry, then try grindr, they wont leave u dry over there  🤔

🤣🤣🤣🤣