The abbot of Wat Mon Pu Yak fainted and seized after seeing the century-old wooden monastery reduced to ashes by fire. The damage is estimated at over 200 million baht or may be impossible to appraise.
At 09:30 on 2 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Patchara Simasathien, deputy governor of Lampang Province, together with Mr. Thanarat Saitep, district chief of Mueang Lampang, Mr. Punnasin Maneenant, mayor of Lampang City, and related officials, visited the site to inspect the damage from the fire at the more than 100-year-old wooden monastery within Wat Mon Pu Yak, also known as Wat Mon Santhan, in Phra Bat Subdistrict, Mueang District, Lampang Province. Smoke was still occasionally flaring up in some spots.
Rescue teams from the Lampang Rescue Association, Sawang Lampang Rescue, and the Lampang City fire department continued spraying water to prevent flare-ups, while preparing to bring in backhoe machinery to clear debris and conduct a detailed damage survey. The condition of the large Buddha statue is under inspection to determine the extent of any damage.
Mr. Prasong Manop, former secretary of the temple, said local residents felt deeply distressed, with some even crying because Wat Mon Pu Yak is a spiritual center for the community. He expressed belief that any restoration or rebuilding would never fully restore it to its original state. He added that concern is especially high for the abbot, who had devoted himself to caring for, restoring, and coordinating the temple's development. Upon returning and seeing the monastery burned and damaged, the abbot fainted and seized, deeply upsetting the local people who witnessed it.
Preliminary estimates suggest the damage from this fire may exceed 200 million baht or could be impossible to appraise because the site is a historic monument with valuable artistic heritage.
