Wildfire razes section of mountain in Zambales tourist town

ABLAZE A wildfire razes a portion of a mountain in the coastal village of Pundaquit in San Antonio town, Zambales as seen in this photo taken on Monday. The fire burned for several days before being contained late Monday night. Firefighters used boats and trekked up the mountain to battle the blaze manually. —KEVINLHOYD AGASA

SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES—Local officials have begun investigating the cause and extent of a wildfire that hit a section of a mountain in Barangay Pundaquit here, which residents suspect was intentionally set as similar fires have been occurring every dry season for years.

Claro Padua, assistant for operations and warning of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said annual fires on the mountain were often linked to human activities, such as kaingin (slash-and-burn farming), hunting or coal production.

“These could be the reasons since it happens every year, but we’re still not certain,” Padua told the Inquirer.

The fire was observed on the mountaintop for several days but was only reported to the local fire department on Monday when it spread rapidly due to strong winds.

ABLAZE A wildfire razes a section of a mountain in the coastal village of Pundaquit in San Antonio, Zambales, as seen in this photo taken on Monday. The fire burned for several days before being contained late Monday. Firefighters used boats and trekked up the mountain to battle the blaze. —KEVINLHOYD AGASA/CONTRIBUTOR

Contained

“Firefighters responded immediately, but since our fire trucks couldn’t access the area, we used boats to cross a river and trekked up the mountain. We manually contained the fire using knapsacks and buckets,” said Senior Fire Officer Alejo Ramirez, officer in charge of the San Antonio fire station, in a separate interview.

The blaze was initially controlled by Monday noon but reignited around 8 p.m. It was contained past 11 p.m.

Residents reported that an abandoned bamboo house in the area might have been destroyed, but authorities were still verifying the claim. Despite the fire’s wide reach, residential areas remained safe, with a river acting as a natural firebreak, Ramirez added.

By Tuesday, the local government confirmed the fire was under control and that tourism activities in the area remained unaffected.

Pundaquit is home to San Antonio’s four coves—Nagsasa, Anawangin, Talisayen and Silanguin. Also found here is Capones Island, a popular summer getaway featuring a century-old lighthouse and rock formations.

Aside from the mountain blaze, firefighters also responded to bamboo grove fires in two nearby villages on Monday and another forest fire in a neighboring village on Tuesday.