FOUR foresters from Philex Mining Corporation and a resident died in a forest fire that raged for almost five hours on Wednesday evening, February 20, in the eastern portion of Sitio Sal-angan, Barangay Ampucao in Itogon, Benguet.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Cordillera said the fire started at 1:30 p.m. and was declared under control at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Fire out was declared about eight hours later, or at 4 a.m. of February 21.
Close to six hectares of land owned by Philex were affected while the storage area of their forestry department was gutted.
The fatalities were identified as Constantino (Dante) Molina, Noel Degyem, Marlon Guiniguin, Dexter Labasan and Leon Mocate Sr., a resident of the area.
Their charred bodies were almost unrecognizable, but they were identified with the help of the Scene of the Crime Operatives.
The responders included the Philex fire brigade; fire volunteers from Itogon, Tuba and Baguio City; Philippine Military Academy; PEZA Fire Brigade; and Tuba and Itogon Police.
Fire Chief Inspector Nestor Gorio, acting provincial fire marshal of Benguet, said investigation will continue to determine the cause of fire and cost of damage.
Gorio said firefighters had a hard time suppressing the fire because of the strong winds.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines said the fire also affected power supply in Benguet after it hit its facility in Sal-angan, Ampucao. Power was restored after 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Mayor Victorio Palangdan confirmed that the fatalities were from Itogon, Benguet.
BFP Benguet provincial office recorded 32 forest fires in the province from January to February 19 this year.
As of Thursday afternoon, another forest fire was reported in Sitio Sta. Fe in Barangay Ampucao, also in Benguet. (With Jonathan Llanes)