The month of March is the beginning of dry season in the Philippines and during this particular period, many fire incidents are being reported. Some of the fire incidents includes structural fire, vehicular fire, garbage fire and forest fire. Due to the alarming cases within this period, the month of March was declared as “Fire Prevention Month” by virtue of Proclamation No. 115-A.
Fire is either caused by natural phenomenon or human activities. Volcanic eruption, earthquake and lightning are examples under natural phenomenon while indiscriminate throwing of cigarette butts and misuse of electrical appliances are examples of activities of man. Fire is either planned or unplanned. Fire due to lightning are not planned while fire that is related to deforestation or land clearing are planned. Fire can be destructive if it becomes out of control, if it destroys home and properties and worst, take lives.
One of the many reported cases of fire incidents in the Cordillera is forest fire or wildfire. Forest fire is an uncontrolled fire that causes devastation to areas of vegetation. It poses a threat to the flora and fauna and disturbs the biodiversity and ecology of the region. It affects the quality of air that we breathe and the human and animal habitats. Furthermore, it causes soil erosion and degradation of catchment areas. It is considered as one of the major cause of forest degradation. On the other side, fire can be beneficial to the plants and animals if it is controlled and planned. Fire creates hollows in logs and trees that can be used by animals for nesting and shelter. It triggers a seed to crack and germinate and also encourages new growth that would later on benefit the animals
Forest fire in Manapnap, Malibcong, Abra
Last February 2020, a forest fire happened in the mountains of Kabayan, Benguet. It lasted 8 days before it was declared fire out. According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Cordillera, a total of 165,620 trees and seedlings with a total value of P1.6 million were damaged. In the first three months of 2019, more than 140,000 hectares of forest in different provinces in Cordillera have been ravaged by fire. Most of the forest fires that happened were correlated to farming. In January 2018, Mt. Pulag was on fire due to the uncontrolled fire from the cooking equipment of a camper wherein about 6 hectares of the protected national park were damaged. Yearly, forest fire incidents are being reported and the above mentioned are just some.
Spreading forest fire in Benguet
In order to prevent and minimize its bad effects, one should observe the following:
- completely extinguish cigarette butts before disposing it
- do not leave campfires unattended, extinguish it properly using soil or water
- follow local ordinance when burning yard waste and
- avoid burning in windy conditions especially in the farm or garden because fire can spread easily.