Forest park fires threaten lychee plantations in Chiang Rai province

Villagers in Mae Suai district of Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Rai have been busy building firebreaks to protect their lychee plantations from forest fires in Doi Kat Phi forest park.
A headman of Ban Pan Kuseng village, in Wawi sub-district, told Thai PBS that fires have been raging in Doi Kat Phi forest park since Sunday, are not abating and are spreading downhill to threaten lychee plantations.
He admitted that the forest fires are the worst for several years, adding that, although the nearest fires are still about two kilometres away, villagers are concerned and have taken precautions by building firebreaks and forming a sentry network to watch out for fires.
In Nan province, one fire-fighting volunteer died yesterday, as he and his colleagues were trying to control fires on a mountain in Bo Suak sub-district.
The death of 62-year-old “Sriwan”, a member of Bo Suak Tambon (sub-district) Administrative Organisation, is the second fire fighter to die while performing their duties. The first was is in Chiang Mai Province.