ANTIQUE – Another forest fire broke out in Antique’s Anini-y town. This time, the blaze scorched an area of Barangay Salvacion.
Personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Anini-y immediately responded after receiving a call at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5.
Residents helped by using water from a nearby river to manually put out the fire.
The flames were extinguished at approximately 8:11 p.m. before they could reach a residential area.
BFP-Anini-y launches an investigation as to the cause of the fire.
To recall, the first forest fire to strike the town this year was reported on February 12 in a portion of Mount Tiriglapo covered by Barangay Lisub-B, Anini-y.
Firefighting lasted for over 10 hours before it was placed under control. The fire left damage to about 20 hectares of agricultural and protected areas.
In the first two months of 2024, a total of 88 fire incidents transpired in Antique Province with damage amounting to P46.78 million.
Over the same period last year, the province only recorded 25 fire incidents.
Senior Fire Officer 1 Jefferson Cordero, BFP-Antique’s Provincial Fire Safety Enforcement Section officer-in-charge, said fire spreads faster because of the dry weather.
Of the 88 incidents, 17 were grass or forest fires.
With these incidents, the local BFP reminds the public anew to avoid the following: burn waste, be it biodegradable or non-biodegradable; carelessly discard unextinguished cigarette butts; and burn wood to make charcoal.
The BFP also established Community Fire Auxiliary Groups, especially in the remote barangays, serving as their first line of defense./PN
