NATION

Benguet forest fire stalls travel

Aldwin Quitasol · Mar 16, 2024, 10:09 AM

Smoke billowing from the forest along a highway in Benguet province has rendered the road impassable to motorists. — PhotoGRAPH courtesy of Atok MDRRMO

BAGUIO CITY — The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Atok in Benguet issued an advisory to the public as responders and volunteers battle the raging forest fire in the mountains of the town on Friday.

According to the Atok MDRRMO, the road along KM. 46, Paoay, Atok is closed due to the ongoing forest fire in the said area.

“The road is temporarily not passable due to impending treats this can cause,” the office announced in its public advisory.

Personnel of the Bureau of Fire and Protection-Atok and neighboring municipalities together with volunteers and the community are in the area struggling to suppress the fire.

The cause of the fire and the time it started is yet to be determined.

To recall, a wild forest fire hit Barangay Paoay on 6 March 2024 where some houses were even damaged. Other forest fires also hit other parts of the barangay early in March.