Banahaw fire only burnt grass, shrubs—PDRRMC exec

By: 11 years ago

Photo courtesy of Jerome Quejano

MANILA, Philippines – The fire that hit the mystical Mount Banahaw was far from the raging forest blaze that hit other countries, an official said Friday.

Dr. Henry Buzar, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC)-Quezon head, told INQUIRER.net that the fire only burnt grass, cogon, shrubs and small trees.

He also said in a separate interview with Inquirer Radio 990 AM that the incident was only a grass fire.

“It’s grass fire. It’s not forest fire. It’s safe to say that the slope of the mountain was not affected,” Buzar said in Filipino on Friday.

The fire died on its own midday Thursday, apparenty due to the wet forest.

A photo that emerged moments after the blaze hit showed what appeared to be a forest fire burning Banahaw’s crater. But Buzar said the supposed crater fire that made the mystic mountain appear like an erupting volcano was only a reflection of the grass fire below.

As of Friday afternoon, the search team rescued six people. Meanwhile, five were rescued on Thursday.

The rescued 11 people were said to be members of an association who believed in the mysiticism of Mount Banahaw, Buzar said. The group is based in Las Piñas City.

The sect members were supposedly praying near the crater of Mount Banahaw and left a candle unattended that may have caused the fire, Buzar said. The fire razed 50 hectares of grass.

The group, Buzar said, may be penalized for violating a resolution by the Protected Area Management Board that declared Banahaw’s peaks closed to trekkers until February 2016 to protect gains from its long closure since 2004.

The group may also face charges of arson, he added.

Banahaw’s grass fire started on Wednesday 6 p.m. when the sect worshipped near the mountain’s crater, Buzar said.

Meanwhile, a simliar fire struck Mount Cristobal in Laguna, adjacent to mystical Mount Banahaw, late afternoon Tuesday and raged till dawn Wednesday. The fire gutted 100 hectares and was caused by honey hunters who used burning dry leaves to blow smoke to the hive to avoid stinging and swarming.