FOREST FIRE. Bureau of Fire Protection Anini-y station chief, Senior Fire Officer 1 Ramil Escander, surveys the area razed by a forest fire in Barangay Lisub B in the municipality of Anini-y, Antique on Feb. 13, 2024. Escander said in an interview Thursday (Feb. 15, 2024) that the two fire incidents happened in the mountainous barangays of the municipality on Feb. 12-13. (Photo courtesy of BFP Anini-y)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has urged the public to be vigilant, especially this dry season, after the two forest fire incidents in the municipality of Anini-y on Feb. 12 and 13.
BFP Anini-y station chief, Senior Fire Officer 1 Ramil Escander, said in an interview Thursday that the forest fire razed about 15,000 hectares in the upland barangays of Bayo Pequeño, Lisub A and B on Feb. 12 and a five-hectare protected area in the adjacent Barangay Tagaytay on Feb. 13.
“Luckily, no resident was harmed by the fire incident except for their livelihood,” Escander said.
He said they were still investigating the cause of the fire, which spread faster due to the intense heat attributed to the El Niño phenomenon and strong winds.
The forest fires burned areas planted with corn, coconut, banana, and rattan palms, he said.
The Anini-y Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) estimated the damage to crops at PHP40.5 million.
They suppressed both forest fires with the help of residents.
“Public are being warned by the BFP to always observe safety, especially with the El Niño phenomenon now,” Escander said. (PNA)
