Forest fire hits Nabaoy hinterlands

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

Forest fire scorched some six hectares of public land in the mountain area of Barangay Nabaoy in Malay, Aklan on Thursday.

Fire Inspector Joseph Cadag said fire broke at around 7 a.m. but was controlled by community fire responders and some personnel of Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Boracay in three hours.

The forest area affected by the raging fire is about two hours walk from the Nabaoy barangay road, Cadag said. 

Nabaoy, one of the 14 barangays in mainland Malay in the northern part of Panay Island, is under the jurisdiction of BFP-Boracay.   

The bureau is investigating the cause of fire, but Cadag mentioned the unintentional burning of dried leaves in the early morning might have sparked the forest fire.

“Walang fire trucks ang nag-responde dahil malayo ang fire scene,” Cadag said.

“Caticlan airport and BFP-Ibajay fire station are the nearest fire brigades responding to fire calls since Malay mainland has no firetrucks.”

Last April, four hectares of forest land were also wiped out, about 500 meters from the Nabaoy barangay road.

Firefighters and first responders controlled the blaze in four hours.

Cadag has reiterated the community vigilance against forest and grass fires especially in the mountainous areas of Malay, Aklan.