LOOK: Mount Pulag torched, portable burner found left behind

MANILA, Philippines – Picture perfect Mount Pulag was soiled and closed off on Saturday, January 20, after a fire consumed 1.5 hectares of grassland near its summit.

According to a report by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) the blaze started at Saddle Camp, at around 3:00 pm on Saturday.

The flames were seen only around 4:30 pm by tour guides who immediately called Kabayan Fire Station. The station was 46 kilometers away as the mountain is the highest peak of Luzon.

Firefighters arrived at the scene at 7:10 pm, and extinguished the fire completely by 9:15 pm. By the time the flames were put out, a sprawling patch of grassland had already turned to ashes.

There were no injuries or fatalities. Firefighters suspect that the fire was ignited by a portable burner with a butane canister.

Here are photos attached to the press release of the BFP:

– Rappler.com

Add a comment

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Rambo Talabong

Rambo Talabong covers the House of Representatives and local governments for Rappler. Prior to this, he covered security and crime. He was named Jaime V. Ongpin Fellow in 2019 for his reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. In 2021, he was selected as a journalism fellow by the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics.