This is the heartbreaking moment a wild elephant fled from a crop fire started by farmers in Thailand.

The lone jumbo was seen wandering amid the smouldering remains of its habitat, which had been razed by a forest fire in the Sai Yok National Park in Kanchanaburi province on March 3.

Firefighters reported two elephant sightings in the park after the animals were separated from their herd. They added that the elephants have been reunited with their families.

Authorities said 37 hotspots had been found in the province on March 2.

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said a wildfire had also broken out at the Khao Yai National Park in Saraburi province on March 4.

The department warned that slash-and-burn agriculture, which Thai farmers commonly engage in to quickly and cheaply clear crops, is illegal and endangers Thailand's wildlife. The practice is also exacerbating the country's worsening air pollution crisis.

Jatuporn Buruspat, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said more than 2,500 hotspots have been detected in farmlands and forest areas in Thailand, causing PM2.5 readings to reach 'critical' levels.

The National Environment Board will be meeting on March 15 to address the persistent forest fires.

The Office of the ASEAN Secretary-General has raised a Second Level Alert after over 150 hotspots were tallied in one day.

The alert indicates 'increasing risk of transboundary haze in the region' due to prevailing dry weather and winds blowing from the hotspots towards neighbouring ASEAN countries.

Farmers have urged to refrain from agricultural burning, identified as the root of the persistent forest fires adding to Thailand's air pollution crisis. However, they are facing commercial pressures from food conglomerates to make a quick turn-around of the land instead of using more time and labour-intensive methods such as crop rotation or manually clearing waste crops.

Scientists found that the smog in Thailand is at its worst in the country when farmers burn waste crops to cheaply clear their land between late October and April. This is combined with high numbers of polluting cars on the road and large construction projects across the capital.

The seasonal lack of wind and rain, combined with a winter low-pressure system in which cold air is trapped closer to the ground by warm air above – prevent the pollution from being dispersed naturally.

The bungling Thai government has been criticised for failing to tackle the country's air pollution crisis, with bizarre measures such as spraying water into the air and giant purifiers having no impact.