New tack on Apo: Fight fire with fire

BEST EFFORTS Volunteers try to control the blaze that has been raging on Mt. Apo in Davao province since March 26. ORLANDO B. DINOY/INQUIRER MINDANAO

DIGOS CITY—Authorities trying to put out a fire still raging on Mt. Apo have decided to fight fire with fire.

Harry Camoro, spokesperson of the Incident Management Team (IMT) on Mt. Apo, said on Friday that officials involved in efforts to stop the fire decided to employ what they call “fire back” to speed up the burning of remaining dry materials—mainly grasses—behind fire lines that have been dug to stop the fire’s spread.

Camoro said by deliberately setting off fire, firefighters are hoping that the ongoing fire would consume itself.

He said while this is being done, two Philippine Air Force helicopters continued to douse other areas with water and ice to cool them down and prevent them from catching fire.

He also said during the meeting of the IMT on Thursday, a resolution was passed on the need to seek help from foreign experts if the fire continues for the next two weeks.

“If the fire will not be controlled until next week, we must take this measure already,” he said.

Camoro said stopping the fire in the coming days, which has left embers as thick as 1.2 meters (4 feet) in some areas, was necessary because volunteers could not possibly keep up the fight forever.

He said at least 200 volunteers are working round the clock to fight the fire.

Asked if there were no additional volunteers, Camoro said many people had offered their services but were turned away after health checks showed they could not withstand the task.

“What we need are able men to fight this fire. Those who can’t fulfill the job should not be allowed to participate,” he said.

Camoro also reported that patches of fire now burning on Mt. Apo are inside the fire lines and not in areas that the IMT had been trying to protect.

Joselin Marcus Fragada, director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Southern Mindanao, said DENR officials had talked to some witnesses and were told that the fire could have started from a bonfire lit by three climbers on March 26, when temperature on the country’s tallest peak dropped to -3 degree Celsius.

Identifying the climbers, however, would be difficult,  Fragada said.