The advisory was posted by Phuket City Municipality at 4.27am today (Feb 17) and reiterated at 5.59am. Both announcements were made exclusively in Thai and have not been shared by any related officials.
“At 1.30am, a fire erupted at a garbage landfill in the area of Phuket City Municipality. Officials from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) are currently working to suppress the fire. Residents of nearby areas are advised to wear face masks to prevent inhalation of smoke. Please close doors and windows completely and avoid the area of the incident,” stated the notice issued at 4.27am.
The second notice, issued at 5.59am, confirmed the arrival of Phuket City Deputy Mayor Supachoke La-ongphet and Permanent Secretary Chalermphon Piyanarongroj at the scene at 2am.
The municipality explained that fire teams from several sub-districts (including Wichit and Rassada) have responded to the blaze, without any direct confirmation of the fire being extinguished.
“The Public Relations Division has issued a notice to the public, asking residents of nearby areas to wear masks to prevent inhalation of smoke. Please, close doors and windows completely and avoid the area of the incident,” Phuket City Municipality repeated.
As of 11am today, no further updates have been provided.
Air quality readings at the Municipal Health Center 1 monitoring station in Phuket Town have been in the range of 69-96 points during Feb 16-17, indicating moderate pollution (according to aqicn.org and based on air quality data provided by the Pollution Control Department, or PCD).
The PCD’s own monitoring website, Air4Thai, recorded a sharp increase in air pollution levels in Phuket Town overnight, reaching 64 points but not exceeding the moderate range either.