BANGKOK, Jan 11 — Fires have burnt nearly 400 hectares of forest on the Khao Loi mountain in Pak Chong district, Nakhon Ratchasima, located approximately 5km from the boundary of Khao Yai National Park, a Unesco World Heritage site in Thailand.
Khao Yai Forest Fire Control Station chief Kittiwat Thiempeng said the fires have affected areas within the Khao Siad Ah Forest Reserve, Khao Nok Yung Forest, and Khao Ang Hin Forest in tambon Phaya Yen, The Bangkok Post reported today.
“The forest fires are about 5km from the boundary of Khao Yai National Park,” he was quoted as saying.
In a posting on X, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the government has instructed all relevant agencies to urgently address the fires to prevent them from spreading.
The governor of Nakhon Ratchasima and the army commander for northeastern Thailand are overseeing the operation.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment expects the fires to be under control by today.
The forest fires, which began on January 3, were initially reported by the Phaya Yen Tambon Administrative Organisation, which helped contain a fire that had already scorched around 80 hectares.
By January 5, a second fire broke out, adding to the ongoing damage, which now totals nearly 400 hectares.
The cause of the fires is believed to be linked to animal poaching, The Bangkok Post cited an unnamed source saying.
