Chiang Mai’s wildfire crisis showed no sign of letting up, giving firefighters no rest as 270 hotspots were recorded across the province on Wednesday, with Chiang Dao district bearing the worst of it at 92 points. Officials and volunteers mobilised to contain the rapidly spreading fires.
At the Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary, the Disaster Response Association of Thailand (DRAT) deployed large UAV drones to tackle fires on Doi Nang — a sheer cliff face inaccessible to ground teams. The aircraft carried water and fire-retardant coolant, making repeated carpet-dropping runs to saturate the terrain and prevent the flames from spreading further. Working continuously from morning, teams successfully brought the fire line under control by day’s end — a significant milestone in the combined use of technology and manpower.
On the ground, more than 100 personnel from the Suea Fai (wildfire suppression) units and forest rangers drawn from national parks across the country maintained operations throughout the day.
