Rawai Mayor Aroon Soros reported that the tourists were safely recovered after Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew was informed that tourists were stranded.
Governor Narong informed the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, based at Cape Panwa, on the east side of the island, to responde, Mayor Aroon said in a post online.
A special operations unit with rubber dinghies was dispatched. The tourists were safely recovered and transferred to a Rawai Municipality speedboat, he added.
Mayor Aroon said that the fire had spread very quickly, and that Rawai Municipality officials and forest officials helped to suppress the fire and keep an eye on it
He thanked all those who helped in the coordinated efforts.
The Phuket News witnessed the first firefighters passing through the Nai Harn Beach area toward the fire after 6pm. By that time the fire had already been burning for hours.