CHIANG MAI: Authorities are preparing to declare Sri Lanna National Park a disaster zone due to the ongoing wildfires in the area.
After inspecting the fires yesterday, Chiang Mai governor Nirat Pongsitthaworn said the park will be declared a disaster zone due to the nature of the wildfire within the park's boundaries.
Park officials are concerned the fire might spread due to the large amount of dried brush and wood in the park, which they fear could fuel the fire further, he said.
The governor then inspected the fire in Huai Mae Kua forest reserve in Mae Taeng district. He said the blaze in the area was started by local villagers who were hunting for wild mushrooms in the forest, as they believe the fire will trigger more mushrooms to sprout.
The fire then spread to a section of the reserve where dried forest litter were abundant, where it grew even larger and joined up with smaller fires started by local farmers who are preparing their plots for next season, he said, adding local authorities in Mae Taeng have been ordered to help bring the fire under control.
When asked about the fires in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Mr Nirat said the fire reported near Huai Tung Tao Reservoir had been brought under control, though the situation remains volatile.
One volunteer, aged 39, died after falling off a cliff there while on a firefighting mission on March 31, he added.
Meanwhile, Pollution Control Department (PCD) director-general, Pinsak Suraswadi, said that the levels of ultra-fine PM2.5 pollutants in the North remain a concern. The average concentration of PM2.5 dust in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son yesterday reached 269.2 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³), far higher than the "safe" exposure threshold of 50µg/m³.
Residents across the North were also told to continue monitoring PM2.5 concentrations in their area, especially between April 6 and 7, when a cold front is set to arrive from China, possibly trapping the pollutants over the region.
Separately, the massive blaze on Khao Chaphlu in Nakhon Nayok, which authorities said was caused by a lightning strike, has finally been brought under control after a five-day struggle, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation yesterday.
The blaze ravaged 1,800 rai of land in total, according to DDPM.
The lightning strike caused a fire on Khao Chaphlu, which quickly spread to Khao Laem and Khao Phra before spreading to Khao Nang Dam the next day.
Authorities deployed six helicopters to put out the rest of the fire, dropping 713,000 litres of water to douse the wildfire yesterday.