Extreme Heat Triggers Grass Fire, Devastates Famous Chocolate Hills in Bohol
EXTREME HEAT – The extreme heat was deemed responsible for the grassfire that impacted two formations of the renowned Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol.
The scorching temperatures were held responsible for igniting a grassfire that swept through two mounds of the iconic Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol, on Tuesday night. FO3 Ian Blair Reyes, who led a team from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Carmen, explained that the fire erupted after 7 p.m. and quickly spread due to the dry grass blanketing the hills, exacerbated by the hot weather conditions.
According to an Inquirer report, the blaze affected at least two hills overlooking the Chocolate Hills Complex in Barangay Buenos Aires. Due to darkness impeding the entry of a BFP-Carmen firetruck into the area, responders chose to wait for the fire to subside while monitoring other hills to prevent additional damage.
It took nearly three hours before the fire was officially put out. According to BFP records, this event represents a reoccurrence of grassfires impacting the famous Chocolate Hills, a key attraction of Bohol’s tourism. These groups of cone-shaped mounds are scattered across Sagbayan, Carmen, and Sierra Bullones municipalities.
In the rainy season, more than 1,700 hills are vibrant green, but during the dry summer months, the grass covering them turns brown, resembling chocolate drops, hence their name, Chocolate Hills.
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Senator Cynthia Villar voiced her opinion that the Captain’s Peak Resort situated in the hills of Bohol should be demolished. The lawmaker questioned the practicality of establishing a resort in the area, proposing that agricultural development might have been a more feasible alternative.
Emphasizing the importance of maintaining environmental equilibrium, she urged the barangay and environmental authorities responsible for authorizing the resort’s construction to provide compensation to its owner.
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