Grassfire hits Mayon Volcano anew

FIRE AT SUNSET. A grassfire is seen from Guinobatan, Albay near the base of Mayon Volcano, consuming a cogonal area within the jurisdiction of Camalig town while the sun sets on Tuesday, May 7. PHOTO BY LEE PASAGUE, CONTRIBUTOR

LEGAZPI CITY, ALBAY, Philippines — Another grassfire broke out on the slopes of Mayon Volcano in Albay Tuesday night (May 7).

In a private message, Lee Pasague, a forester from Guinobatan town, said he noticed the grassfire around 6:20 p.m. while he was on his way home.

Pasague said the area was full of cogon grass that might have caught fire due to the intense heat and lack of rain. He explained that the hot days have caused the forest cover in the area to become too dry.

In an interview, Camalig Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo, Jr. said that the grassfire broke out in the upper area of Barangay (village) Tumpa.

Baldo said the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) are checking out the area.

BFP personnel were deployed at around 6:42 p.m. to put out the fire.

Baldo said that a similar grassfire broke out at Barangay (village) Maninila in Guinobatan at 5 p.m., also Tuesday.

“It affected around an area of around four to five kilometers. Barangays Tumpa and Maninila are next to each other,” Baldo added.

Camalig public information officer Tim Florece, in a separate interview, said the area where the grassfire happened in Barangay Tumpa was uninhabited and difficult to reach.

“Affected area is between the 7 kilometer extended PDZ (permanent danger zone) and 6 km PDZ, which is 5 km away from the residential area,” Florece added.

Florence said that as of 10 p.m., the BFP and MDRRMO have not yet reported back if the fire was already put out.

Last May 4, a grassfire incident also occurred at the base of Mayon Volcano, wherein grass, crops and trees were affected.