LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) -- The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Ilocos Norte reports during the first quarter meeting of the Provincial Peace and Order Council and Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council on March 25 its proactive measures to prevent and lessen forest fire incidents.

As of March 22, the fire bureau disclosed that a total of 19 forest fires are recorded and in five years, 41 incidents occurred in the province.

Most of the wildfires happened because of human activities such as burning of agricultural farm wastes and irresponsible discarding of cigarette butts in grassy locations.

“Rare po talaga ito (forest fire). To be honest, BFP is not ready in responding to forest fire. We did not invest in trainings kasi nga bihira lang ito,” said Provincial Fire Marshall Roxanne Parado.

She said that in 2019, a forest fire incident was recorded in Banna; in 2020, one case in Nueva Era; in 2021, two separate fires were reported in Pasuquin and Piddig; while in 2022, similar incidents happened in Vintar and Carasi towns.

“In 2023, the province saw a dramatic escalation of forest fires reaching 21 cases. And the trend of forest fires continues in our province with 19 incidents for the first quarter of this year,” added Parado.

She also informed the council that most of the incidents happen within the area of the Solsona-Apayao road.

With the newly created  Forest Fire Task Force, an inter-agency approach is implemented to ensure prevention and immediate suppression of forest fires.

The task force is composed of Ilocos Norte firefighters, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Ilocos Norte Water District, Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office, Philippine Marine Corps, Philippine Air Force, among others.

The provincial fire marshal seeks the council’s support to secure funds for the procurement of drones that they can use for surveillance and assess the extent of forest fires. (JCR/MJTAB/GGA PIA Ilocos Norte)