Community Action Highlighted As Important Tool For Fighting Wildfires

And while flames in the Mountain Pine Ridge have been brought under control, wildfires continue to threaten several other communities across the country. In the west, efforts continue in San Antonio Village as wildfires continue to burn on the outskirts of the community. Fortunately, so far, the villagers with assistance from the government and local NGOs have been able to save important infrastructure from being destroyed. The residents banded together and implemented firefighting techniques they acquired through prior training. The situation has now brought into context the need for community leaders country-wide.

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development: “We would want to see all the communities around the country have people who are volunteers along with their village councils to do the training in fire management in wild fire management especially and so that when these things occur they are prepared. Of course this also goes along with not only the training but it also goes along with having at least some basic equipment for firefighting and these are things that are lacking and we wanted to see when the portfolio was under my ministry that we would be able to do it gradually as soon as we get funding then start doing these preparations. But we have to be aware that not all the time you will have these types of preparations but some villages might have a better governance structure and so they might be better prepared. The forest fires have affected the Pine Ridge Mountain. Contrary to what some people might believe there was about thirty plus thousand acres that were affected, not totally burned. Of that a lot of it is a good burn that they classify as good burns which means to say that the pine forest will recover right now when the rainy season starts. The pine were already starting to seed so these seeds will fall on the ground on fertile ash where they will certainly take off rapidly but the Forest Department also has its restoration program where we would be restoring some of the trees and planting new trees in areas that don’t take on. And we have two concessineers who are up there who also have their nurseries and will be doing some replanting.”

Habet noted that while the destruction was minimal in the west, several villages in the Toledo District were severely impacted. 

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development: “We are cognisant of the fact that some of these forest fires occasion many times by agriculture fires that get away and then there were losses of some farms but also some housing and so that we had to recur to getting some humanitarian aid for them. In San Antonio the fires threatened the water line and also I think there was a few hours where the community didn’t have water and it affected a part of the Elijio Panti National Park. The people from the community assisted the comanagers of the national park. We had involvement of the fire department but we also have some resource up in that area like Blancaneaux, Gaia who were active and also assisting so when it comes to things like these I think we have to applaud efforts of both the private sector, the NGOs and the regulatory agencies.”

The National Emergency Management Organization has yet to complete a damages assessment report.