Chiang mai: Officials are urgently creating firebreaks on Doi Suthep-Pui mountain in Chiang Mai province after the wildfire situation showed signs of intensifying. Meanwhile, the Commander of the 3rd Army Area has ordered strict control of wildfires throughout northern Thailand and is coordinating with neighboring countries to reduce burning and mitigate transboundary air pollution. In Chaiyaphum province, a special task force from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment used helicopters to drop nearly 40,000 liters of water to contain a wildfire on Phu Khiao mountain.

According to Thai News Agency, the weather and sky over Chiang Mai are beginning to be covered in haze following several wildfires in the southern part of the city. With the fires threatening to intensify, over 600 soldiers, officials from various units, and volunteers, equipped with necessary equipment, are urgently constructing firebreaks over 6 kilometers long along high-risk areas on Doi Suthep-Pui, particularly within a 1-kilometer radius of Phuping Palace. This is to prevent the escalating fires from worsening and causing thicker PM2.5 haze. Lieutenant General Worathep Boonyarat, Commander of the 3rd Army Area, and Mr. Rattapol Naradisorn, Governor of Chiang Mai, also participated in constructing the firebreaks.

The Commander of the 3rd Army Area, in his capacity as chairman of the Forward Operating Center for Forest Fire, Haze, and Dust Pollution Prevention and Mitigation, has ordered all units to cooperate in addressing forest fires and haze in 17 northern provinces, especially in Chiang Mai, a popular tourist city. Troops have been deployed to strictly monitor forest areas near the city, such as Doi Suthep-Pui, to prevent forest fires and mitigate the impact of PM2.5 pollution. Furthermore, cooperation has been sought from Myanmar and Laos through the Border Committee (TBC) and Regional Border Committee (RBC) meetings, requesting military assistance from both countries to monitor border areas and reduce burning in both agricultural and forest areas.