The Thai army sent three Soviet-designed MI-17 helicopters to help extinguish forest fires.

The aircraft were deployed to a hillside community Baankhun-gnern in Chiang Mai province on March 2 where the fire had almost crossed to surrounding areas.

They refilled at a nearby school and flew across the fire site, spraying water to control the raging blaze.

A spokesman from the Royal Thai Army (RTA) 3rd Division said: 'The 33rd Infantry region along Sansai Municipality officers, local rangers, fire marshalls, and local community leaders worked together to keep the fire from spreading.'

Locals helped install fire barriers to keep the blaze in the area only. They said it started as a small bush fire only that spread uphill.

The province had been devastated by two major wildfires last week alone, with an interval of two days only.

The northern region of Thailand has suffered from wildfires and hazardous haze throughout the last two months. Officials had been attempting to tackle the crisis but the critical situation has not improved.