Forest fires in Khon Kaen

Flames eat through a forest in Khon Kaen's Ban Fang district, one of several areas where wildfires are burning as the province bakes in the dry, hot weather. (Photo by Chakkrapan Natanri)

KHON KAEN: Wildfires sparked by the hot and dry weather have swept through hundreds of rai of forests in this northeastern province.

They are burning in community forests and forest parks in areas bordering Ban Fang, Nong Rua and Ubon Ratana districts.

The fires have spread due to the extremely hot conditions and abundance of dried leaves and other natural combustibles for fuel.

Khon Kaen governor Somsak Changtragul said the whole province of Khon Kaen is experiencing dry and hot weather, which raised the fire risk.

All 26 provincial districts were instructed to remain on fire alert around the clock, step up cutting of firebreaks and be prepared to respond quickly to contain new outbreaks.

In some areas the fires were inaccessible to vehicles and firefighters had to go on foot to reach the flames.

The governor said the practice of burning sugarcane fields to clear them of trash before harvesting was the cause of many of the fires, with airborne hot cinders igniting the dry tinder.