Chocolate Hills catch fire due to extreme temperature
The tourist attraction Chocolate Hills in Bohol reportedly caught fire due to the extreme heat.
Jose Añus of the Bureau of Fire Protection Carmen said the grassfire started at 7 p.m. and was put out after three hours, as per ABS-CBN News.
“We just monitored and stood by it. We need not go up since there were a lot of trees and our fire truck could not get inside,” Añus said in Boholano.
No individual was hurt and no residential area was affected.
Officials have yet to determine the cost of damage and total land area affected by the fire.
Bohol’s heat index reached 41C before the incident.
The Chocolate Hills are haycock-shaped mounds in Sagbayan, Batuan, and Carmen, Bilar, Sierra Buliones, and Valencia.
The hills, which are at least 1,200 in number and spread over 50 square kilometers, are covered in green grass and turn brown during the dry season, hence the name.
The hot weather experienced in the Philippines is expected to last until mid-May, as per AFP.