Rain Helps Extinguish Kanlaon Grassfire After 24 Hours

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – A downpour helped extinguish a grassfire that hit the grassland area of Mt. Kanlaon in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental on Tuesday.

Fire Inspector Marlou Abrenica, officer-in-charge of the Canlaon City Fire Station, said they deployed a drone around 5 p.m. to monitor the fire, as entry into the permanent danger zone is prohibited due to ongoing volcanic activity.

As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, the fire was still visible from a distance, Abrenica said.

Rain then fell for about an hour, helping to wet the affected grassland and aiding in fire containment.

Abrenica noted that the rainfall was not enough to cause lahar or mudflows.

He said the fire did not spread to forested or residential areas due to slow-moving winds.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology declared the fire out at 9 a.m. Wednesday, nearly 24 hours after it was first reported.

“The rain was the only chance to contain the fire because it is too risky to get to the area,” Abrenica said.

Despite drone surveillance, Abrenica said they could not yet assess the full extent of the damage without conducting an aerial inspection.

Phivolcs reported that the grassfire was triggered by superheated ballistic fragments ejected from the volcano during Tuesday’s explosive eruption.

Abrenica added that they attempted to observe the affected area again on Wednesday, but visibility was limited due to cloud cover.