The suspect, Pongpat (surname withheld), a resident of Ban Rin Luang, confessed to starting the fire, claiming he had been hired to dig cassava on a nearby plot and, upon seeing a wildfire spreading from another direction, decided to burn dry grass to create a firebreak. He said strong gusts caused the fire to quickly escape his control. He also admitted that he had been using methamphetamine shortly before lighting the fire and was intoxicated at the time.
Officials were unconvinced by the explanation. Coordinate records showed the original wildfire had been burning some 500 metres away, and the plot in question had already been fully harvested, giving no legitimate reason to carry out a controlled burn. Investigators suspect the suspect used the ongoing wildfire crisis as cover to illegally clear the land ahead of the new planting season.
Pongpat has been handed over, along with evidence, to investigators at Naway Police Station for prosecution.
