Bacolod City (CNN Philippines) — Around 300 hectares of grassland in Barangay Kabagnaan, La Castellana town in Negros Occidental were destroyed due to bush fires that broke out near the crater of the Kanlaon Volcano.
Team responders composed of fire fighters, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) mountain rangers, mountain climbers, and personnel from several local disaster risk reduction and management units trekked up the mountain yesterday (March 30) to combat the fire.
With coordination with the DENR, a fire line of at least two meters wide was established within the 4-kilometer radius Permanent Danger Zone to prevent the bush fire from spreading to forested areas.
The bush fire was put out at 12 noon yesterday (March 31) and the team responders arrived at the incident command posts in La Castellana at 4:40 p.m.
The Bureau of Fire Protection says although the bush fire was far from residential areas, the smoke affected some barangays in La Castellana town.
Fiery rocks and incandescent objects spewed by the volcano on Tuesday night (March 29) were believed to have sparked the blaze.
Several volunteers are continuously monitoring the fire lines to ensure that fire will not rekindle.
