Bacolod mayor calls for vigilance vs grass fire

Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez is calling on the public including the barangay and purok officials to be extra vigilant against incidents of grass fire as well as fire incidents that may happen within their jurisdictions and ensure that they report it to the nearest fire stations so immediate actions can be taken.

This, after a series of residential fires and grass fires erupted in various areas of the city.

Lawyer Caesar Distrito, the mayor’s spokesperson, said Tuesday, April 2, that the mayor also asked the barangays to organize or reactivate volunteers as part of the firefighting initiatives of the city.

“The mayor also reminded Bacoleños to avoid small fires, stop putting their garbage into the fire, and make sure fire-prone and combustible materials are kept safely away,” he said.

Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Bacolod records showed in that March, they received a total of 205 fire calls.

Of the number, 130 were grass fires, five sugarcane, 15 residential, five commercial, 20 post, 26 rubbish, and three vehicular fires.

City Fire Marshal Chief Inspector Stephen Jardeleza said Monday evening, April 1, that they conducted the controlled burning at the Pope John Paul II Tower.

“Control burning is one of our strategies to combat grass fires and to work efficiently with our current resources such as fuel and firefighting capabilities,” he said.

He added that they were also coordinating with the barangay officials and the business establishments in the area for the conduct of controlled burning.

Jardeleza noted that they are now focusing along Bredco Port because of the wide grassland areas.

“That is why we are asking our constituents to be careful even with grass fire so that we can reserve our resources for a structural fire,” Jardeleza said.*