Hundreds flee as forest fire hits Mount Apo peak

A raging fire on Mount Apo — the Philippines highest mountain — forced hundreds of people to flee from the peak by foot, officials said Sunday.

According to Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) park superintendent Edward Ragaza about 200 trekkers went to Mt. Apo through the Kapatagan trail for the Holy Week.

“150 of them are already moving home and 50 are out of the danger zone but are also heading from Camp 1 Paradise to Baras Station in Poblacion Kapatagan,” he said.

Mount Apo can be accessed through Kapatagan in Digos City; New Israel in Makilala; Balutakay in Bansalan; Agco in Kidapawan; Bongolanon in Magpet; and Baruring in St. Cruz.

"For now climbers won't be allowed at Mount Apo on all fronts kay delikado pa (it is still dangerous)," Ragaza said

Firefighters dug ditches that were seven-feet deep in their battle to contain the blaze, which began Saturday afternoon and was ongoing 24 hours later, to stop it from spreading.

There were no reported injuries and nearly all of the 1,000 tourists who were on the mountain were evacuated by noon Sunday, provincial disaster official Harry Camoro told AFP.

Ragaza said the fire started at 1 p.m. Saturday near the peak then spread downhill.

He expressed  concern that the embers blown away by strong winds at the peak could spark another fire and affect more areas.

“Pero hindi pa ma-determine the extent of the area damage although we were told it has already affected more or less 100 hectares,” Ragaza said.

He said they have also reports of grass fire incident at Upper Sibulan in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.

A local tourism official on Sunday said the fire has destroyed grass lands and forest areas in the southeast portion of Mt. Apo's peak.

City tourism officer Joey Recemilla, also chairman of the Eco-Tourism Committee of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), said the fires started at about 1 p.m. on Saturday, originating from the campsite at an area on the peak in the Davao del Sur province's side.

“The Cotabato [province] side of the Mount Apo is now in danger, especially the remaining area of the peak on the Kidapawan side,” he said.

The northeast portion of the mountain is geographically shared by the towns of Makilala, Magpet, and Kidapawan or the so-called, “Kidapawan-Magpet-Makilala (KMM) Eco-Tourism area” in North Cotabato.

“We just hope there would be no strong winds.  And we pray for the rain to pour to ease the situation,” he said.

Mount Apo towers over the main southern island of Mindanao, at 3,142 meters above sea level, and is home to forest reserves and the breeding ground for the Philippines' national bird, the endangered monkey-eating eagle.

It is common for searing summer temperatures to start fires on the mountain, Camoro said, however the cause of the blaze had not been determined.

Air force helicopters were deployed on Sunday to survey the damage, he added.

Eco-tourism triangle under threat

“If the fire will not be contained, I am afraid that by afternoon today (Sunday) the fire will already penetrate the KMM eco-triangle,” Recemilla told GMA News.

He also said that vast forest and grass areas on the mountain's peak have been burned already and much of the flame is now leaking its way towards Davao region's side.

Recemilla estimated more than 100 hectares in the Digos City trails have been destroyed by the forest fire.

He said that as precautionary measures, fire trucks have been stationed at the mountain base.

All the six mayors of the local government units (LGUs) surrounding Mount Apo were informed Saturday noon about the fire.

“All efforts have been taken to put off the fires, even as monitoring teams with our volunteers are already up on Mount Apo,” Recemilla said.

According to Ragaza, there are ongoing efforts to suppress the fire and more people from fire volunteers, tourism and environment stakeholders, local government units are doing everything to control the fire. He said DENR will send more Community Environment and Natural Resources Officers to assist.

“We are doing everything,” Ragaza said.

The Energy Development Corporation (EDC) which operates the Mt. Apo Geothermal Plant is also helping to prevent the spread the damage.   —Malu Cadelina Manar with Williamor Magbanua and Agence France-Presse/LBG/APG, GMA News