Female captain spearheads helicopter firefighting missions in northern Thailand as smog crisis worsens

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - A Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) personnel on a firefighting helicopter inspects fire spots to drop water to combat forest fires over Mae On district in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai on March 26, 2025. 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. — AFP pic

CHIANG MAI, March 27 — 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.

A general view shows smoke rising from forest fires as seen from a Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) firefighting helicopter over Mae On district in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai March 26, 2025. — AFP pic

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 Organisation’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.” — AFP