Grassfire Affected 2 Hills of Chocolate Hills
CHOCOLATE HILLS – The extreme heat started a grass fire that razed 2 of the famous Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol.
The intense heat was blamed for the grassfire that struck two mounds of the renowned Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol, on Tuesday night. FO3 Ian Blair Reyes, leading a team from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Carmen, stated that the fire broke out after 7 p.m. and rapidly spread due to the dry grass covering the hills, a result of the hot weather.
Based on a report from Inquirer, the blaze impacted at least two hills overlooking the Chocolate Hills Complex in Barangay Buenos Aires. With darkness hindering the entry of a BFP-Carmen firetruck into the area, responders opted to wait for the fire to diminish while keeping watch over other hills to prevent further damage.
It was nearly three hours until the fire was officially extinguished. According to BFP records, this incident marks a recurrence of grassfires affecting the iconic Chocolate Hills, a highlight of Bohol’s tourism.
These clusters of cone-shaped mounds are spread across Sagbayan, Carmen, and Sierra Bullones municipalities.
During the wet season, the over 1,700 hills are lush green, but in the summer heat, the grass coating them turns brown, resembling chocolate drops and giving rise to their name, Chocolate Hills.
Watch the video below:
In a previous article, Senator Cynthia Villar said the Captain’s Peak Resort at hills in Bohol should be demolished. The politician expressed skepticism regarding the feasibility of constructing a resort in the area, suggesting that agricultural development could have been a more viable option.
Stressing the significance of preserving environmental balance, she called for the barangay and environmental officials responsible for approving the resort’s construction to compensate its owner.
