The forest fire in the North Cotabato side of Mt. Apo has been contained as of Mon afternoon, Mar 28. However, the blaze rages on in the Davao del Sur side of the country’s highest peak. The cause of the fire, which broke out at around 1pm on Mar 26, is still being investigated.
“Eduardo Ragaza, national park supervisor, noted that the fire has been continuously moving towards the Davao portion of the country’s highest peak,” reports Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The fire at Mt. Apo has already eaten an estimated 300 hectares of grassland and forested areas and Ragaza said, “It is possible that more areas will be affected as it spreads.” He added, though, that the fire’s spread has been somewhat slowed by “moisture at the mountain.”
Ragaza observed that authorities started putting up barriers after an aerial survey conducted on Monday determined where these would be more effective in preventing the spread of the fire.
Meanwhile, an InterAksyon.com report revealed that presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has ordered Central 911 to respond to the reported massive fire on Mt. Apo.
The report noted: “The Davao City mayor’s order came after dozens of trekkers, who climbed Mt. Apo during the Holy Week, were evacuated as Makilala and Magpet Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel in North Cotabato have been trying to fight the forest fire.”
