The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) continues to investigate the cause of the fire that hit a portion of Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park in La Castellana, Negros Occidental late last week.

Senior Supt. Arnold Alba, provincial fire marshal, said yesterday there are many possibilities on how the fire started, including the intense heat which could have caused a spark.

“Needless to say, we have to investigate, so we can have a credible investigation report,” Alba said in a radio interview.

He added that the initial assessment of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources showed the fire damaged 35 hectares of forest and grass areas.

Based on the BFP report, the fire call came at past 1:40 p.m. on March 14 and a fire out was declared by 12:30 p.m. on March 15.

The fire originated in the northern portion of Barangay Masulog, according to the initial investigation.

Alba said the site of the fire along Barangays Biak na Bato and Masulog was uninhabited.

“There were no residents on ground zero since the area is within the four-kilometer danger zone,” he added.

Alba, who joined the BFP personnel in responding to the fire, said they were unable to use firefighting equipment since the site was inaccessible to motor vehicles.

Firefighters, emergency responders and volunteers walked through narrow paths for about two hours and 40 minutes to reach the location.

He said they only brought bolos, rakes, gloves, and boots and employed suppression techniques to put out the fire.

Alba acknowledged that the BFP has limited capability and training in responding to forest fire incidents, which usually occur every year.

“This would be a time to also ask the help of the local governments to help the BFP procure necessary equipment and undergo training to efficiently suppress this kind of fire,” he added. (PNA)