Forest fire, haze affect Thailand

BANGKOK, March 10 (TNA) - Almost all areas in a mountain in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai Province have been destroyed by a wildfire, causing spreading haze in affected zones. The forest fire, which broke out on a mountaintop in Chiang Mai's Mae Taeng District, burnt almost the whole mountain and spread to the foothills close to a resort on Monday. Workers and tourists at the resort tried to put out the blaze wherever possible, but the out-of-control fire on steep slopes destroyed almost all the whole mountain and sent haze over wide areas. Haze in nearby Chiang Rai Province has also worsened, as thick clouds of white smoke and smog have covered wide areas over the past few days. It is expected that the open burning to prepare for local farmlands, coupled with drought, should escalate the haze situation in the province. Meanwhile, the disaster prevention and mitigation office in Trang Province in the Thai South said that at least 20 forest fires have been reported since last month, burning about 500 rais in several districts, with four districts having been declared forest fire control areas, including Muang, Sikao, Kantang and Wang Wiset.(TNA)