Uthai Thani—
On April 29th, 2024, Uthai Thani local media reported a night fire incident at a rice field that spread to a main high voltage transmission 115kv tower causing an automatic safety power cut off to activate.
As a result, the entire Uthai Thani province went blackout for two hours!!
The violent fire was first spotted by local residents on Road 333 in Mueang, Uthai Thani, at a rice field and reportedly quickly spread over 100 Rai. Relevant agencies including the Uthai Thani Provincial Electricity Authority officials and more than 300 firefighters were dispatched to the fire incident scene to place the fire under control.
It was reported by relevant fire officials that the fire was under control at 9:30 PM, however, the officials would continue to monitor the area to prevent the fire from igniting again as there were still some concerning smaller fire spots in the rice field. Moreover, the smoke from the fire covered the area, so drivers had to be extra careful.
After two hours of fighting the fire, the Provincial Electricity Authority officials immediately proceeded to turn the electricity back on as the entire province was in the dark.
Initially, the cause of the fire incident was assumed to be human-made, however, the reason for setting the rice field on fire was still not clear, said the Governor of Uthai Thani Teerapat Kachamat. Police officers were investigating the unidentified rice field owner as of press time as the fire had originally started there.
