Forest fires hit two Benguet areas

Photo from the Philippine Air Force

MANILA, Philippines — Forest fires hit two areas in Benguet on Wednesday in another addition of wildfire incidents which hounded the province this year.

The blaze hit Mt. Camisong in Itogon town and another in Barangay Adonot in Bokod town, according to the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

The PAF deployed a Super Huey Helicopter operated by its 505th Search and Rescue Group.

“Performing a series of heli bucket operations, the aircraft collected water from the Sto. Tomas Water Reservoir and Banao River,” the PAF said in a statement on Wednesday night.

PAF said the fire is still ongoing as of posting.

No casualties have been reported, PAF said, while the Bureau of Fire Protection is still determining the cause of the blaze.

At least 200 hectares of forested areas in the Cordillera region have been ravaged by fires since Jan. 2024, according to authorities.

In Feb 2019, five men were killed while helping put out a fire that razed a 60-hectare forest area in Benguet.