A forest fire at the Sakra Rat Research Station in Pak Thong Chai District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, has damaged about 7,000 rai. Smoke covers the entire area, impacting respiratory health.
The forest fire started within the Sakra Rat Research Station in Phu Luang Subdistrict, Pak Thong Chai District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, on 12 Feb 2026 at around 15:00. The fire spread aggressively due to intermittent strong winds. The research center's forest is dry dipterocarp woodland filled with long-accumulated dry leaves and pek trees, creating highly flammable fuel. Nakhon Ratchasima Province coordinated with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, local administrative organizations, village headmen, and village chiefs to mobilize staff and volunteers with equipment and fire trucks for ground firefighting. The Ministry also supported firefighting helicopters, enabling containment of the fire by the evening of 13 Feb 2026.
Nakhon Ratchasima Province established an incident command center chaired by Deputy Governor Wijit Kitwirat, with Krith Poongkasem, head of the provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, and the provincial director of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment also present. The command center is based at Ban Wang Nam Khiao School (Puang Phoo Uppatham). Relevant agencies were assigned responsibility for firefighting. Wang Nam Khiao Police Station, the Nakhon Ratchasima Highway District 3, and Lum Ngern Highway Subdivision managed traffic and deployed fire trucks to extinguish fires along Highway 304 heading into Nakhon Ratchasima.
As of 14 Feb 2026, the forest fire in Phu Luang Subdistrict, Pak Thong Chai District, has been fully contained. In Udomsap Subdistrict, Wang Nam Khiao District, staff from the Thap Lan Fire Control Station, Wang Nam Khiao, Khao Yai, and Forest Resource Management Office 8, along with village headmen and chiefs, continue to combat flare-ups. Firebreaks and water spraying are used to prevent further spread into communities, with close monitoring of high-risk areas near villages.
At 20:00 on 13 Feb 2026, drone surveys detected multiple new fire hotspots. Fifty firefighters were deployed on foot to those locations to contain the fire. Damage is estimated at about 7,000 rai of forest area.
Throughout the night, smoke from the Sakra Rat forest fire drifted over Phu Luang Subdistrict, Pak Thong Chai District, and Udomsap Subdistrict, Wang Nam Khiao District. By the morning of 14 Feb 2026, this caused health impacts and elevated PM2.5 levels. The air quality index (AQI) in Pak Thong Chai was moderate at 83 AQI, with PM2.5 measured at 28.8 micrograms per cubic meter.
Meanwhile, Wang Nam Khiao District recorded a moderate air quality index of 94 AQI and PM2.5 at 30.5 micrograms per cubic meter. The air quality in both areas may moderately affect health, especially among vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, and patients, who are more sensitive to air pollution and should take protective measures.