Fire incidents, mostly forest fires, increase in CAR in Q1

BAGUIO CITY — Fires, mostly on forests, are on the rise in the highland Cordillera region.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Cordillera said 86 forest fires were recorded from January until the first week of March alone.

BFP, however, said it could not categorically conclude from their own investigations what caused these forests fires.

The bureau also logged 49 grass fires, two vehicular and also agricultural fires, four rubbish fires and 33 structural fires.

These incidents occurred in different provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region except Apayao which logged no single fire incident yet.

Benguet topped  forest fire incidents at 43. Of which, 15 were grass fires, 13 were structural fires, three were rubbish fires and one was an electrical fire, while Abra  had seven forest fires. One was a grass fire and four are structural fires.

Baguio City logged a total of four forest fires with nine of them grass fires, eight structural fires and one vehicular fire.

Kalinga had two structural and one agricultural fire incidents, while Ifugao recorded one agricultural fire and one structural fire.

Mt. Province logged 32 forest fires, 15 grass fires, five structural fires, one rubbish fire and one vehicular fire.

BFP Cordillera Fire Inspector and Information Officer Janelle Manuel Daniel said that fire incidents from January to March this year were higher than the same months last year.  

The BFP also said that the damages caused by the fires in the whole region amounts to P9,487,620.

Meanwhile,  Rep. Eric Go Yap (Benguet, Lone District) called on the House of Representatives to probe government’s capability in combatting forest fires.

In filing House Resolution number 1603 last week, Yap said the investigation would seek answers on how government agencies are dealing this kind of disaster. 

“With the recent surge in forest fires across various regions, (there is a) need for a robust and coordinated approach to forest fire management has become increasingly apparent," Yap said.

The lawmaker is asking the House Committee on Natural Resources to conduct an inquiry into the capacity and readiness of appropriate government agencies in dealing with forest fires.

He said that the probe is geared, “for the purpose of prevention and containment of such disasters as well as the immediate rehabilitation and/or reforestation of damaged areas.”

"We seek to address this pressing issue by assessing the preparedness and effectiveness of government agencies tasked with forest fire prevention, containment, and rehabilitation," he added. 

"(We) are also requesting audience with DENR, OCD, and BFP to discuss their capacities and needs for intervention. In order to support maximizing the capacity of our fire trucks, we also turned over fire hoses to strategic fire stations in the province," the lawmaker also said.

Yap said the nquiry will focus on identifying any gaps or deficiencies in the existing framework for forest fire management and recommending legislative measures to address these shortcomings.