A massive forest fire broke out in the mountains of Bontoc, Mountain Province, on April 19, 2026, prompting an emergency response that continued through Monday, April 20.
The blaze, centered in Barangay Samoki, has forced firefighters to create extensive firelines to prevent the flames from reaching residential clusters and animal enclosures, News.Az reports, citing GMA Network.
While no human casualties have been reported, the fire has caused significant infrastructure damage by destroying PVC water pipes, cutting off essential water supplies to several local communities.
The environmental impact has also spilled over into the tourism sector of the Cordillera region. In neighboring Ifugao, authorities were forced to temporarily close the popular trekking trail to Tappiya Falls in Barangay Batad due to the fire’s proximity to a steep cliffside route.
Officials warned that the scorched terrain has become geologically unstable, posing a high risk of rockfalls to tourists and guides. Visitors are being rerouted to the Budyu Hanging Bridge as a safer alternative while Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel work to fully contain the remaining hotspots and investigate the cause of the blaze, which is suspected to have started from unattended burning rubbish.
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