Fire fighting helicopter tackles Thailand blazes
A bright orange helicopter races over the jungle to dump water on a raging wildfire that is adding to the air pollution choking Thailand's northern tourist hub of Chiang Mai.
Chutaphorn Phuangchingngam, the only female captain in Thailand's national disaster prevention team, draws on two decades of flying to steer the Russian-made chopper through the thick smoke.
Forest fires are burning in several areas of northern Thailand, contributing to the annual spike in air pollution that comes with farmers burning stubble to prepare their land for the next crop.
Chiang Mai had the sixth worst air quality of any major city in the world on Thursday morning, according to monitor IQAir, and the city governor has warned residents against staying outdoors.
Chutaphorn told AFP the dense forest and hilly terrain made helicopters the best tool to fight the blazes.
"We use (helicopters) to put out fire in areas that are difficult to reach, especially in the mountains," she said.
Chutaphorn and her six-member crew flew over Huai Bok reservoir, collecting 3,000 litres of water each time before heading two kilometres to the fire zone, spread across more than 1.6 hectares (four acres).
Northern Thailand is the latest area around the world to suffer significant wildfires, after South Korea -- currently battling its biggest on record -- Japan and California.
While the causes of forest fires can be complex, climate change can make them more likely by creating hotter, drier weather that leaves undergrowth more prone to catching light.
As well as damaging important forests, the fires are fuelling Thailand's anxieties about air pollution, which causes millions of people to need medical treatment each year.
- Smog crisis -
Levels of PM2.5 pollutants -- dangerous cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs -- were almost 15 times the World Health Organization's recommended limit in Chiang Mai on Thursday, according to IQAir.
The government banned crop burning early this year to try to improve air quality, with violators facing fines and legal action, but authorities said the measures have proven ineffective.
"There are still large numbers of farmers who continue to burn their fields," said Dusit Pongsapipat, head of the Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation in Chiang Mai.
Danaipat Pokavanich, a clean-air advocate involved in drafting the Clean Air Act -- a bill to curb pollution in Thailand -- praised the firefighting efforts but called them a "temporary fix".
"The law alone won't stop farmers from burning," he said.
He recommended offering financial incentives to encourage sustainable farming practices and investing in technology to reduce the need for burning.
Until then, Chatuphorn and her team remain ready to take to the skies to do their part to clean up the air by putting out forest fires.
"Flying a helicopter for disaster work is different from flying passengers," she said, citing limited visibility as a major challenge.
She remains committed to her childhood dream.
"I just wanted to touch the cloud," she said, after the helicopter landed. "Though now all I feel is just the smoke."
tak/pdw/pjm
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jay Peak's president talks tariffs at U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ABC22/FOX44) – 'If I start escalating costs to Canadians at the same time we're continuing to whack them with this reckless narrative about their sovereignty, I'm going to lose half of my business.' Vermont Senator Peter Welch on Wednesday brought Steve Wright, president and general manager of the Jay Peak ski resort, to a forum on the impact of recent tariffs on tourism, farming, and manufacturing industries. The forum was hosted by senators Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, and attended by 11 senators, all members of the Democratic Party. Canadians call off Vermont vacations over Trump policies President Donald Trump has said that tariffs can be an effective way to negotiate. The official White House website says, 'tariffs would create new incentives for US consumers to buy US-made products.' However, Wright warned about a 'catastrophic amount of trouble' caused by Canadians' unwillingness to spend money in the U.S. Wright's remarks focused on the impact of statements like Trump's suggestion in February that Canada become the country's '51st state', but he also talked about the higher prices he has seen as a result, citing a purchase of a new chairlift that abruptly increased in price by up to 50 percent. Vermont and North Country leaders on Trump's 'trade war' with Canada 'We are curious as to when the upside of this anti-Canadian rhetoric starts to present itself,' said Wright, 'because… along the northern border, we are presently living right in the middle of its downside.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Egypt deports dozens of activists before planned march to Gaza border
Egyptian authorities have detained and deported dozens of pro-Palestinian activists planning to take part in a march intended to break Israel's blockade on Gaza, airport officials and protest organisers have said. Thousands of activists from around the world have been planning to trek to Egypt's Rafah border crossing with the Palestinian territory on Friday as part of the Global March to Gaza, demanding the entry of humanitarian aid into the blockaded territory. But Egyptian officials have been cracking down on international visitors planning to participate in the march, detaining them at Cairo airport and hotels in the Egyptian capital for questioning, and arresting and deporting dozens on Thursday. An Egyptian official told The Associated Press that authorities had deported more than three dozen activists, most of whom held European passports, on arrival at Cairo International Airport in the past two days. The official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorised to brief the media, said that the deported activists had intended to travel to Northern Sinai 'without obtaining required authorisations'. The Reuters news agency reported that at least 73 foreign nationals had been deported on a flight to Istanbul on Thursday, with 100 more at the airport awaiting Abukeshek, spokesperson for the Global March to Gaza, told the AFP news agency that more than 200 activists had been detained at Cairo airport or questioned at hotels in the city. Among those detained were nationals from the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Algeria and Morocco. He told AFP that plainclothes officers had gone to Cairo hotels on Wednesday with lists of names, questioning activists, searching their belongings and confiscating their phones in some cases. 'After interrogations, some were arrested and others were released,' he said, adding that some had been deported after being detained at Cairo airport. A group of Greek activists said in a statement that dozens of their contingent had been detained at Cairo airport 'despite having all legal travel documents, having broken no law and followed every legal procedure in entering the country'. The march's organisers said in a statement that they had followed guidelines laid out by the Egyptian government, and indicated they would proceed with the march as planned. 'We look forward to providing any additional information the Egyptian authorities require to ensure the march continues peacefully as planned to the Rafah border,' said the statement. Abukeshek told AFP that the group were still planning to proceed with Friday's march to the Gaza border. The marchers plan to travel by bus to the city of El Arish in the Sinai Peninsula before walking about 50 kilometres (31 miles) to the border with Gaza. They intend to join a convoy of activists that left Tunisia on Monday, travelling overland to support the action. The organisers say they aim to 'create international moral and media pressure' to open the border crossing at Rafah and lift the aid blockade on Gaza, which the United Nations has described as 'the hungriest place on Earth'. Israel imposed a total blockade in March as part of its war on Gaza, in which it has now killed more than 55,000 Palestinians. It allowed for a limited amount of aid to flow last month, but distribution has been plagued with problems, including deadly Israeli violence against aid seekers, and experts say the volumes are far below what is required. The Global March for Gaza is the second attempt by international activists to break the siege on Gaza this month, after the Madleen ship attempted to travel to the Palestinian territory by sea with aid on board. The ship, which had Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, French European Parliament member Rima Hassan, and Al Jazeera Mubasher reporter Omar Faiad on board, was seized by Israeli forces on Monday as it travelled through international has denounced the restrictions on aid entering Gaza, and says that its side of the Rafah border crossing remains open, but that the Palestinian side has been blocked by Israel since the war broke out. Cairo has warned that only those with authorisation will be allowed to travel the planned march route. 'Egypt holds the right to take all necessary measures to preserve its national security, including the regulation of the entry and movement of individuals within its territory, especially in sensitive border areas,' its foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Israel, whose diplomatic ties with Cairo are a sensitive issue in Egypt, has called on Egyptian authorities to prevent the march from reaching the border. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz referred to the activists as 'jihadist protesters' on Wednesday, saying their presence at the border 'would endanger the safety of [Israeli] soldiers and will not be allowed'.
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk keeps Ukraine on his mind as he prepares for his next big fight
Perched on Spain's eastern coast, the touristy town of Gandia may not look like an obvious home for one of Ukraine's biggest stars, but it's here that world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is basing himself ahead of his next fight. Quieter than other towns in the vicinity, its geography and climate confer it a surprising but important characteristic for Usyk and his team: it looks and feels like southern Crimea. The links to Usyk's home province and country don't stop there. Step inside his base – a co-working center turned fortress and gym – and you will see references to Ukraine everywhere. From the yellow and blue splashed on most walls, to the numerous flags, symbols and memorabilia he personally selected, Ukraine – and the war of survival it's going through – are very much at the forefront of Usyk's mind. 'It's a little difficult to balance things when your family is in Kyiv,' the WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight champion told CNN Sports. Throughout the day, CNN witnesses him interacting with his two sons – hugging them, sharing jokes and even playing a little bit of soccer. They joined him at his training camp and, here, he knows they are safe. But some of his family have stayed behind in Ukraine. 'My two daughters and my wife,' he said. 'But I just know that my Ukrainian people and my Ukrainian soldiers will protect them.' When he's not preparing for a fight, Usyk himself spends most of his time at the family home in Kyiv, so he knows all too well what his family is going through every night, as Russian drones and bombs continue to batter cities around the country. He avoids the news as he tries to stay focused on his training, explaining it 'would be a distraction.' Still, the connections he's made in the military – he joined Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and has visited the frontlines on several occasions – means he's immediately updated when something serious happens. 'The guys who are defending my country are on the front,' Usyk explained to CNN. 'I have information that is sent to me. When things are dangerous, they tell me.' They also share Ukraine's successes, like the daring drone strikes the nation carried out on Russian air bases deep within the country. 'I would like to express my deep gratitude to Vasyl Vasyliovych (Malyuk, head of Ukraine's Security Services [SBU]) – boss, great job,' he said, with a grin, beating his chest with his clenched fist. He added that he's messaged the SBU chief as well. But while a 'distraction' from training is what Usyk wants to avoid as he prepares to unify the world heavyweight title for the second time in his career against Great Britain's Daniel Dubois on July 19, distractions from the grueling and bloody battles at the front are a welcome break and exactly what his fellow soldiers need to take their minds away from the war. 'We try not to talk about the scary things they do to defend our country. What is happening there, what kind of shelling is happening, how they are being attacked, how they are heroically defending our country,' Usyk explained. 'They're more interested in what I'm doing. When I ask them questions, they say, 'Wait, wait, wait. Tell us about yourself, what's going on with you?'' 'At that moment, I show them videos of our training sessions,' he added. Those moments are small respite for those fighting to defend Ukrainian sovereignty, roughly three years and three months after Moscow's armies marched on Ukraine. But for the soldiers and Usyk, the war began long before with the annexation of his home in Crimea in 2014, just one year after he became a professional boxer. The war, he admitted to CNN Sports, has played a defining role in his development as an athlete. 'I think that, in a way, it motivated me to do something for my country,' he said, adding that he's not just fighting for himself. He's also used his platform to fundraise for Ukraine and frequently addresses the war and other issues facing his country on his social media accounts, advocating for his country and his people. To that end, he has also pleaded with US President Donald Trump for more support, offering to host him at his family home, so he can experience what it's like to live as Ukrainians do, under the threat of constant bombardment and air raids. A post shared by CNN (@cnn) Yet despite all of his work outside the ring, he has remained an undefeated 23-0 in his career with 14 wins coming by way of knockout. And he is confident he'll keep up his perfect record against Dubois at Wembley Stadium too. 'How confident am I? One hundred percent. 100,000,000%,' he told CNN Sports. 'It's difficult (to tune out the war), but I can switch off to do my job so that I can help my country more later on.'
