The army has set up an MI-17 helicopter to combat fires across the north, as more and more have been identified via satellite images.
The deputy commander of the army region 3, Gen. Prasithipongse Muldee, said today that the Northern control centre for fire and pollution response ordered the helicopter to Sansai today, following an outbreak of fire last night in Mae Faek Mai sub-district.
Being in a challenging terrain, ten firefighters were also sent in to the area, while the helicopter did many trips taking water from Mae Guang Dam to the hotspots.
The helicopter, purchased 15 years ago, was also used in the rescue of the Wild Boars during the famous cave rescue in 2020. It has been used in the past year to help transport critical Covid-19 patients, explained the general.
Today, the average PM 2.5 levels in Chiang Mai were between 42 and 113, said another representative from the centre, with the AQOI sitting between 67 – 223. There are 13 provinces with current levels of pollution above safety standards, including Chiang Mai.
“Most of the fire is coming from our neighbouring countries as well as our own forests, parks and agricultural fields,” said the rep.
Between the 1st December until yesterday, there were a total of 13,928 hotspot identified across the 17 northern province, reduced from 36,394 hot spots over the same period last year and 61,518, when compared to those identified during the same period the year before
However, throughout March, all burning is banned in Chiang Mai.