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GRASS FIRE. Firefighters put out a fire on Jan. 31, 2025 in a mountainous area in Carasi, Ilocos Norte. Responders said the fire broke out on the afternoon of Jan. 30. (Photo courtesy of OCD) |
Carasi, Ilocos Norte—Some 378 hectares of the mountainous parts of Brgys. Barbaquezo and Virbira in this town was razed by fire that started around 2 p.m. of Jan. 30, 2025.
No injuries have been reported
and the cause of the forest fire has yet to be determined, the Provincial
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) said Jan. 31, 2025.
A fire out was declared past
noon Friday but Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc ordered
continued monitoring and deployment of aerial assets, citing the need to be on
guard due to unpredictable wind direction in the mountains.
He said the primary affected
areas were those with pine trees and cogon grass, but did not reach the
plantation area under the national greening program of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“Thank you to [Defense]
Secretary Gibo Teodoro, [Office of Civil Defense Administrator] Usec.
(Undersecretary) Ariel Nepomuceno, [Ilocos Norte 1st District] Congressman
Sandro (Marcos), Bureau of Fire Protection, Office of Civil Defense, Armed
Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Air Force, Philippine National Police,
Navy, and Marines, uniformed personnel, and the provincial, municipal, and
barangay officials and private partners for extending support to help douse the
blaze since yesterday,” he said in a statement.
Aside from coordinated efforts,
a helicopter bucket was used to help battle the grass fire.
To prevent wildfires, the
provincial disaster risk reduction and management officer Marcel Tabije said barangay
ranger officers have established “fire breaks” in hotspot areas or those near
DENR’s national greening program areas.
Local government units have also
implemented measures to help prevent grass fires.
For one, the municipal
government of Piddig has temporarily banned visitors to visit the Mount Lammin
camp site and ensured the protection of its coffee plantation project from
grass fire.
In nearby Banna town, hunting of
abuos (ants eggs) or any activity that can ignite fire is strictly prohibited
under the so-called tropical rainforest conservation ordinance including the
anti-burning law and no smoking policy under Republic Act 9003 and the
comprehensive fire code of the Philippines. (Leilanie G. Adriano)
