Kanlaon Volcano. Photo courtesy of Phivolcs.
DUMAGUETE CITY — A grass fire affected around 100 hectares within the four kilometer Permanent Danger Zone of Mt. Kanlaon, authorities said on Monday.
The Protected Area Management Office reported that the blaze had been burning since April 19 in Barangay Masulog in La Castellana, Negros Occidental.
Charlie Fabre, director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Negros Island Region, said the damage largely involved vegetation such as grass and shrubs.
He said efforts were underway to determine how to control the spread of the fire, with coordination already in place with the Bureau of Fire Protection and local disaster officials.
Fabre said teams had been working with the Bureau of Fire Protection and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of La Castellana to assess response measures.
Authorities said the cause of the fire had yet to be established, although high temperatures were being considered as a possible factor.
Response operations have been complicated by the ongoing unrest of Mt. Kanlaon, which limited access for firefighting teams entering the restricted zone.
Seth Bariga, information officer of Canlaon City, said officials were monitoring the situation closely, noting that residents within their side of Barangay Masulog inside the danger zone had already evacuated months earlier.