Forest fire breaks out at major national park in northeastern Thailand
Bangkok/Xinhua/UNI: A forest fire suspected to have been caused by nearby burning activities broke out on Sunday inside a major national park in northeastern Thailand, a senior government official said on Monday.
It took 18 hours from mid-morning on Sunday to extinguish the fire at Phu Kradueng national park, a major tourist attraction in Loei province, according to Sombat Phimprasit, chief of the national park.
He said the fire had engulfed some 1,360 acres of forest land in the park, and the authorities are investigating whether the fire had been caused by local villagers' torching of some of their farmland.
All tourists, vendors and villagers were evacuated from the park. The national park chief said it was considered the most calamitous fire inside the national park in 17 years.
Authorities have earlier issued a stern warning against burning activity in open space which could probably cause forest fires, haze and airborne dust, particularly in the dry season. Those found to have burned forest land or farmland will be penalized by law with a fine, a jail term or both.
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