A fire broke out simultaneously at several points of a roughly 200-rai garbage dump in Songkhla. Thick smoke billowed as firefighters worked for over 10 hours without fully putting out the fire. The blaze is believed to have been caused by extremely hot weather conditions.
At 13:30 on 23 April 2026 GMT+7, reporters reported a fire at the Ko Kaeo garbage dump located on about 200 rai of public land in Ko Taeo Subdistrict, Mueang District, Songkhla Province. The fire spread rapidly due to the large amount of waste serving as fuel. This dump has been used for waste disposal under the Songkhla Municipality for more than 30 years.
The fire started in areas where flood debris from Hat Yai was being buried, which remained after waste was processed at the waste-to-energy power plant. Multiple fire points ignited simultaneously since 03:00, spreading quickly and producing large plumes of smoke.
The initial cause is believed to be the extreme heat and dry air, which ignited the fire. The garbage dump contains accumulated plastic waste acting as fuel, combined with gases produced by decomposing waste, making it easy for fires to ignite during this period.
Mr. Supit Pitaktham, Chief of the Songkhla Provincial Administrative Organization, said he personally led a team to closely inspect the fire at the Ko Taeo dump after receiving reports earlier that morning. He ordered and coordinated with the organization to deploy over 10 fire trucks and more than 50 water tanker trips to control the situation, using backhoe loaders to dig into waste piles so water could reach the heat sources.
Going forward, authorities will monitor the situation 24 hours a day and plan with relevant agencies to implement long-term fire prevention measures.
