Taal Volcano Island grass fire has stopped —PHIVOLCS

The grass fire detected in the southwest portion of Taal Volcano Island in Batangas on Tuesday has stopped early Wednesday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.

In an update, the PHIVOLCS said the grass fire stopped at around 5:20 a.m.

PHIVOLCS in another update said the Bureau of Fire Protection CALABARZON officially declared the fire out at 09:05 a.m.

The fire was first detected at 11:24 a.m. Tuesday and directly impacted the Taal Volcano Binintiang Munti (VTBM) Observation Station.

Similar incidents were previously recorded on March 3, 2023, and May 2, 2024, according to the agency.

PHIVOLCS Director Teresito Bacolcol said that the grass fire was not caused by the volcanic activity of Taal. He said the PHIVOLCS cannot determine yet if the grass fire was man-made or due to the extreme hot weather.

“Hindi pa natin masasabi. Pero definitely, hindi ito dahil sa activity ng Taal Volcano. We can only speculate now,” Bacolcol told Dobol B TV in an interview on Wednesday.

(We can’t say yet. But definitely, it’s not because of the activity of Taal Volcano. We can only speculate now.)

According to Bacolcol, no equipment of PHIVOLCS was damaged due to the grass fire in Taal.

In a statement, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said its Coast Guard Sub Stations (CGSS), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), as well as Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) from San Nicolas and Agoncillo towns responded to the grassfire.

Citing BFP Nicolas, the PCG said around three to five hectares were affected by the grass fire.

“Response teams continue to monitor the situation closely while conducting further evaluations to determine the full extent of the damage and the cause of the fire,” the PCG said.

Alert Level 1 is maintained over Taal Volcano on Wednesday, which means the volcano is in abnormal condition and should not be interpreted to have ceased unrest nor ceased the threat of eruptive activity.

Under Alert Level 1, the possible hazards are sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas.

PHIVOLCS prohibits the entry to the Taal Volcano Island, permanent danger zone or PDZ, especially the vicinity of the Main Crater and the Daang Kastila fissure. Flying close to the volcano is also prohibited. —KG, GMA Integrated News