WILDFIRES. First responders could not go any further to reach the sporadic wildfires reported at Mt. Pamari in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental which broke out last March 22, 2024, that lasted for days. Another fire of unknown origin razed the tourism destination Bao-Bao Peak, also in Barangay Tayawan, Bayawan City, on Sunday (March 24, 2024). (Photo courtesy of the Barangay Tayawan village chief Clint Chiefe)
DUMAGUETE CITY – Authorities are keeping a close watch on highly elevated areas in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental after a series of wildfires razed portions of Mt. Pamari and Bao-Bao Peak.
Adrian Sedillo, executive director of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), told the Philippine News Agency on Monday that they have already coordinated with the proper agencies to closely monitor the areas that may be hit again by wildfires.
“Based on the initial reports, the PDRRMO is on standby and we are coordinating with other agencies to determine what kind of response is needed if the situation worsens,” Sedillo said.
Supt. Noel Nelson Ababon, Bureau of Fire Protection provincial fire marshal, said he is still awaiting an official report from the Bayawan City Fire Station regarding the wildfires.
Ababon could not yet give any specific details regarding the wildfires in Bayawan City but he assured that BFP personnel remain deployed in Barangay Tayawan where the first incident of fire broke out.
Clint Chiefe, chairman of Barangay Tayawan, Bayawan City, confirmed to the Philippine News Agency that the wildfires in Mt. Pamari and Bao-bao Peak were sporadic in high elevations, but not populated.
Bao-bao Peak, meanwhile, caught fire this weekend and was reported to have been razed by Sunday evening, he added. The area is promoted as one of the city’s tourist destinations.
Chiefe said he immediately coordinated with the Bayawan City local government unit (LGU) for assistance.
Responding units, however, could not penetrate the areas where the sporadic fires were reported due to inaccessible roads.
Drones deployed by the LGU last March 22 showed that the fires were seen in different areas in Pamari, a sub-village that is part forestial and under the jurisdiction of the city, Chiefs said.
For his part, Engr. Dan Caber of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Administration (PAGASA) in Negros Oriental said wildfires could be an indirect result of the ongoing El Niño phenomenon.
Caber also called on the public to be mindful of their activities and actions as a little spark, such as from a burning cigarette butt thrown to the ground, could ignite a fire. (PNA)
