About 500 hectares of grassland were affected by a grass fire that broke out in Upper London, Barangay Seguil/Bawing, General Santos City.

Dry grass reportedly caught fire rapidly at the area property owned by a community of Blaan Tribe.

The fire also razed an unoccupied hut and parts of another vacant house in the area.

Residents worked together to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to houses nearby until firefighters arrived.

According to one of the caretakers of the property, around 500 hectares were affected by the grass fire.

No one was reported hurt in the incident and no major residential structures were destroyed.

Some residents said the fire may have been caused by unattended charcoal-making activities in the area.

“Ang tan-aw namo sa cause sa sunog, kanang nagapanguling bitaw unya mapasagdan, mudako, wala dinha ang tag-iya sa uling nidako ang kalayo… mao gyud na observation nako, kanang nag-uling dinha nga patago,” one of the caretakers of the property, Karim Annie, said.

However, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said improper disposal and burning of waste are also being considered as possible cause.

“Una, ang akong ginatan-aw is kaning pagsunog-sunog nila og basura, unya kana pud ang pag-dispose sa mga basura sa kabukiran kay siguro, wala’y klaro nga tigkolekta og basura ba,” BFP GenSan Arson Investigator, SFO2 Nituel Bacate, said.

BFP added that discarded glass shards or broken bottles can ignite fire when exposed to intense heat from the sun, as they can magnify sunlight similar to a magnifying glass and ignite dry grass.

“Once man gud na siya ma-expose sa pinakainit gyud kaayo, posible na siya maka-magnify, imagine-on nato, kanang magnifying glass gud, murag ing-ana ang principle niya nga kung naa’y mga botelya, mao pud na siya ang isa sa mga hinungdan nga pwede mag-ignite ang sagbot nga laya,” Bacate added.