At least 100 hectares hit by forest fires in Negros Occidental

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – At least 100 hectares of forest land were hit by fire in Candoni town, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday, February 28.

Candoni town acting fire marshal Marlon Estimar told Rappler in an interview on Thursday, February 29, that they received the report around 9 am on Wednesday, after a group of individuals working for a company near the area reported the incident.

Estimar said the fire that burned thousands of fruit and non-fruit bearing trees and spread to at least 100 hectares of the town’s forestal area was due to the extreme heat brought on by the El Nino phenomenon in the province.

To help contain the fire from spreading further, two Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) firetrucks from the neighboring town of Ilog and Sipalay City were called to augment the local firefighters, Estimar said.

The forest fire was declared fire out at around 4:48 pm on Wednesday, after nearly seven hours, Estimar said.

Estimar said that there the area affected by the forest fire was uninhabited.

Eduardo Florendo, the town’s municipal environment and natural resources officer, said that the fire burned down hundreds of flower species and that it would take more than 10 years for them to recover.

Florendo called for a movement of community action in which all interested parties might take part to strengthen their program for mitigating climate change, which includes reforestation.

“The town now has a local conservation project spanning 654 hectares in partnership with the provincial environment and management office (PEMO) and an ongoing urban reforestation project,” he said.

Investigation into the total amount of damage that the fire brought to the town is still ongoing. – Rappler.com