All the detected fires were part of one cluster, which would have had the same starting point, although neither the details of that nor what caused the fire to start have yet been reported. The terrain made some parts difficult to access, which is where the helicopter was utilised to scoop up water from nearby resources and then drop it to damp down the fires; 30 water drops were carried out, releasing a total of 15,000 litres of water. By Wednesday afternoon (28th January) officials announced that the situation was under control, although work and observation was continuing into Thursday, with firebreaks being reinforced and inspections aimed at preventing flare-ups.

As part of this effort, repairs have been completed to the beachfront steps, which had been damaged by seawater erosion, restoring them to their original condition. The engineering department has also been instructed to improve the area on South Cha-am beach to facilitate tourists for pitching tents, laying mats, and parking. Due to the number of people visiting from Bangkok on weekends, businesses are allowed to provide the normally ever present umbrellas, chairs and tables that have historically been there, but the hope is that local people can enjoy the beach more during the rest of the week. The main image above (Attribution: Ahoerstemeier, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons) is a typical example of what the main beach looks like on a weekend.

It is still expected that previously announced flights from the airline, to Phuket, Surat Thani and Hat Yai, will commence this month, and the suggestion is that the Bangkok route may also be available from the same time. A promotional sightseeing flight last month, out of Hua Hin Airport, used a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX, capable of carrying 10 to 12 passengers, which is thought to be the type of aircraft that will be used for all routes. No details have yet been given for the first flights to the southern destinations, or for the capital flights, although starting dates and schedules may be affected by the work being carried out on the airport. The flight to Bangkok is likely to take around 40 minutes, and would almost certainly be into and out of the Don Mueang International Airport, rather than Suvarnabhumi.