4500 officers from nine provinces mobilized to extinguish forest fires in Chiang Mai
4500 officers from nine provinces mobilized to extinguish forest fires in Chiang Mai
21 March 2014
published by http://thainews.prd.go.th
Thailand — The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is mobilizing more than 3,000 officers from 9 provinces for a wildfire suppression operation in Chiang Mai.
According to Deputy Director General Theerapat Prayoonsith, the air pollution in the northern region has aggravated as a result of forest fires that are spread by the help of the southwestern monsoon wind and putting Chiang Mai under a blanket of thick smoke.
Additional forest fires sparked at Chiang Dao National Park in Doi Chiang Dao district and at the mount of Doi Suthep in Mueang district on Friday. Theerapat said more than 3,000 officers from nine provinces have been mobilized to help extinguish the fires.
In Chiang Mai alone, 1,500 officers are preparing to start the operation in the mountainous terrains. Authorities have also launched stringent measures to take legal action against those who deliberately start the fires.
