A 12-hour grassfire hit “20 to 30 hectares” of a vacant land at a hilly area in Barangay Lombog, Guindulman on Thursday afternoon.

Fire Officer 1 Leo Olaivar of the Guindulman Fire Station said the fire broke out at 1 p.m. on Thursday and authorities were able to declare fire out at past 1 a.m. on Friday.

Firefighters took a long time to put out the fire as it had already spread across the grassland when they arrived. They also had difficulty in reaching some parts of the hills that were hit by the blaze, said Olaivar.

According to the fire officer, they were still conducting an investigation to identify the cause of the fire which started on top of a remote hill which had no houses or other structures.

Olaivar said that the fire may have erupted due to an unattended bonfire or a person who threw a lighted cigarette, but investigators are not discounting other causes.

“Basin naay ni-agi didto na nanigarilyo, mao ra man jud na kay wa may balay didto. Pwede pud og tungod sa kainit kay kadtong lugara cogon unya ilawm niya mga laya na pud na mga dahon,” he said.

There were no witnesses who could provide information as to how the fire started, he added.

Olaivar said no one was injured during the incident.

There fire also did not leave any property damage as there were no structures or farms in the area which was about 20 kilometers away from the town proper of Guindulman.

“Naa toy kamanggahan duol pero wa ra maapil…Tunga man siya sa buntod unya nikalat ra padung sa barangay road pero wa ra kaabot,” said Olaivar.

The fire official noted that there had been several grassfires in Guindulman in the past particularly in Barangay Lombog.

The last reported grassfire in the village was in 2019.

“Diha pud to sauna, kana pong barangay Lombog ug naay silingang lungsod kana sila maoy ni sige og balik-balik og ka grassfire.” (AD)