District chief urges police to find arsonists behind Loei forest fires

A forest fire in Loei's Phu Kradueng district destroyed 300 rai of protected land. Authorities suspect local villagers set the blaze, possibly to hunt or harvest wild mushrooms.

The chief of Phu Kradueng District has called on the police to locate villagers responsible for starting a fire that damaged 300 rai of forest within a wildlife sanctuary on Saturday evening.

Supalak Noisuwan, the district chief of Phu Kradueng, filed a formal complaint at the Phu Kradueng Police Station on Sunday.

He requested assistance in identifying the suspects who ignited the fire at the Phu Kho–Phu Kratae Wildlife Sanctuary around 5 pm on Saturday.

Supalak stated that local villagers were believed to have started the fire, likely while hunting in the area. In some cases, villagers are suspected of deliberately setting fires in the hope of collecting wild mushrooms, which often grow after tree leaves are burned and subsequent rainfall occurs.

“No one will be spared this time,” Supalak declared.

Forest fires in various parts of the country are considered a significant contributor to PM2.5 air pollution, which has been choking many cities in Thailand, particularly during the winter season.
 

Yutthapong Kaewboon, an official from the wildlife sanctuary, reported that the fires began at 5 pm on Saturday and quickly spread, consuming 300 rai of forest.

Park rangers and local villagers worked together to combat the fire and successfully brought it under control by Sunday evening.

(2025/01/27-00:00)