Thick black smoke filled the sky as a fire broke out at a waste transfer facility in Barangay Bonuan Gueset, Dagupan City.

Firefighters from the Dagupan City Fire Station responded to the blaze, which lasted nearly two hours and burned around 100 square meters of piled garbage.

FCInsp. Michael John Escaño, Dagupan City fire marshal, said scavengers might have caused the fire.

“Ang nakikita namin na possible na pinagmulan po – ‘yung mga scavenger po na nangangalakal sa dumpsite,” Escaño said.

He said scavengers often burn wire insulation to extract and sell the metal inside, which could have started the fire.

BURNING PLASTIC WASTE

In Barangay Nancayasan, Urdaneta City, firefighters responded quickly after a fire broke out in the area.

The fire was put out in just 10 minutes.

They found that someone had been burning plastic waste.

SFO1 Ruel Garcia, operations chief of the Urdaneta City Fire Station, reminded the public to avoid open burning of trash.

“Huwag tayong magsunog ng basura sa paligid ng ating puwesto o bahay. Lalong-lalo na kung tambak na ‘yung basura,” Garcia said.

He advised residents to dispose of waste properly by placing it in sacks and waiting for garbage collectors to pick it up.