The province had previously designated six districts — Hot, Samoeng, Chiang Dao, Doi Saket, Mae Taeng and Mae Wang — as public disaster areas covering 38 sub-districts, 324 villages and 27 communities.
With the situation showing no improvement, 61 hotspots were recorded across 13 districts in the morning alone. Acting Governor Siwakorn Buapong has now expanded the disaster declaration to include Chom Thong (covering the sub-districts of Mae Soi, Ban Pae and Ban Luang), Hang Dong (Nam Phrae and Ban Pong) and Galyani Vadhana (Chaem Luang, Ban Chan and Mae Dad). The declaration is intended to unlock authority for local administrative organisations and relevant government agencies to immediately mobilise available budgets and resources for containment and relief operations in accordance with official regulations.
Also today, Lt. Gen. Worathep Bunya, Commander of the Third Army Region and Director of the Regional Centre for Wildfire, Haze and Particulate Prevention and Resolution, inspected frontline operations to assess the situation. Defence Minister Lt. Gen. Adul Boonthamncharoen and his delegation were scheduled to visit Wing 41 air base in Chiang Mai this afternoon to review ongoing firefighting and haze mitigation efforts.
