Fumes from forest fires blanket Mae Hong Son in dangerous, blinding haze
Following days of hundreds of forest fires, visibility in Mae Hong Son province fell to 1.5 kilometres on Friday while PM2.5 air pollution rose to more than four times the safe level – 211 micrograms per cubic metre of air – as of 10am, officials said.
Satellite photos showed 197 fires in the province on Friday, down from 460 on Thursday, according to the Mae Hong Son centre for operations to contain forest fires and PM2.5.
Although the number of fires fell, air pollution worsened due to the accumulation of fumes, deputy governor Prasert Jitplicheep said.
The provincial government is still in the process of integrating the efforts of all agencies to combat forest fires and PM2.5 dust, Prasert said.
