20190630 Troops deployed to combat peat fire in Nakhon Si Thammarat
Thailand Jun 30 2019 “Forest”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Troops deployed to combat peat fire in Nakhon Si Thammarat
Updated: 2019–06–30
Soldiers and village volunteers have been deployed to combat a fire raging in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. (Photo by Nujaree Raekrun)
NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: Soldiers from the 41st Military Circle of the 4th Army and village volunteers have been deployed to combat a fire raging in the Khuan Khreng peat forest in Chian Yai district of this southern province.
Col Tanat Chimpalee, deputy commander of the 41st Military Circle, said that the soldiers and volunteers armed with 6,000-litre water trucks are trying to douse the flames near Moo 12 village in tambon Karaket to prevent them from spreading to nearby oil palm plantations.
Thanakorn Raktham, chief of the wildfire control station for the Pak Phanang river basin, said other fires are burning peat forests near Moo 2, Moo 6 and Moo 7 villges of tambon Khreng of Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Cha-uat district.
Augmented by strong winds, the flames are spreading quickly because the peat is dry and highly inflammable.
Mr Thanakorn said the fires are still burning and have damaged about 1,200 rai of peat forests and oil palm plantations in spite of preventative measures.
He believed the fires were man-made, but did not elaborate.
Web Source: The Nation