A forest fire at a Chiang Mai national park tragically killed a firefighting volunteer on Friday. The volunteer, 39 year outdated Wichai Thimakham from Mae Rim district, was found lifeless in Khun Khan National Park. His death was apparently due to suffocation, Thai PBS reported.
The acting director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Atthaphon Charoenchansa, said Wichai and his group had been working between Ban Pok and Ban Pong Khrai villages to combat the forest fires since Thursday night. The group was scheduled to return to camp on Friday morning, but Wichai didn’t present up, prompting a search that led to the invention of his body.
There had been no visible burns on Wichai’s body, and his death was believed to be attributable to suffocation. His physique has been sent to a hospital for post-mortem.
Forest fires have reignited in Khao Tabaek, behind the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in Nakhon Nayok, as firefighters have been building a firebreak. Chaiya Huayhongtong, Outlawed of Khao Yai National Park, reported that wild animals, similar to squirrels and monitor lizards, have been discovered burned to demise in the forest.
The Department of Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has estimated that over 190 hectares of forest in the Khao Laem area in Nakhon Nayok have been destroyed by the fires. Firefighters are working to comprise the blazes, with 5 helicopters deployed to manage fires and over 191,000 litres of water dropped to struggle the flames..