Fires hit Mt. Asog in Iriga, historic church in Ilagan

Fires hit Mt. Asog in Iriga, historic church in Ilagan

LIGAO CITY, ALBAY, Philippines — A wildfire broke out at the upper portion of Mt. Asog in Iriga City, Camarines Sur, on Sunday while flames also engulfed a historic church in Ilagan City in Isabela province the following day, local officials said.

According to the Iriga City Emergency Operations Center, the fire broke out at 9:35 a.m. amid the extreme heat accompanying the El Niño phenomenon and responders were still trying to extinguish it on Monday afternoon.

In an interview on Monday, Maharlika Ramon Oaferina, Iriga City administrator, said 250 people were deployed to Mt. Asog, a dormant volcano, as part of the incident management team.

“The team was dispatched on the ground to create a fire lane in order to prevent loss of lives, further damage to properties and protect the environment,” Oaferina said.

Iriga Mayor Wilfredo Rex Oliva had canceled all mountain-based outdoor and adventure activities within the area to keep people out of harm’s way.

READ: El Niño-induced wildfires break out in Mindanao, Visayas

Aerial surveys

“We asked Tactical Operation Group 5 (TOG5) to conduct aerial surveys so that we could assess the situation and the extent of the damage,” Oaferina said, adding that the wildfire could worsen if the extreme hot weather condition would continue.

“So we asked the TOG5 to prepare for Bambi bucket operations,” Oaferina said, referring to the aerial fire suppression using a helicopter that drops water to the blaze from a collapsible bucket.

The heat index in Iriga and many parts of Camarines Sur peaked at 45 degrees Celsius on Monday, data from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) showed.

READ: Camarines Sur heat index to peak at 45°C on April 22, says Pagasa

Earlier, Pagasa warned that this year’s dry season would cause widespread droughts due to the prevailing strong El Niño.

In a separate interview, Jas Botor, chief of the Iriga City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said the Mt. Asog fire razed forest areas in at least eight villages in Iriga and nearby Buhi town but spared the residential areas located at least five kilometers away.

“So far, there are no reported casualties and no evacuees as well,” she said.

Botor had met with officials of the local office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to find a long-term solution to prevent similar fire incidents in the area. The Bureau of Fire Protection was still investigating the cause of the fire and had yet to determine the cost of the damage and the total area affected by it.

17th-century parish

In Ilagan City, the baroque-type St. Ferdinand Parish Church, built in 1612, also caught fire on Monday suspected to have been caused by faulty electrical wiring, according to local firefighters.

The flame was put out after an hour but destroyed the church’s roof, pew chairs, furniture and some religious images. Five years ago, church patron Aurora Lazo donated about P8 million to refurbish the church while preserving the old structure.

Fire investigators have yet to determine the extent of the damage to the church. —WITH A REPORT FROM MAIDA BORAGAY/INQ INTERN