Wildfire hits Saipan forest
Wildfire hits Saipan forest
1 April 2005
Published by www.saipantribune.com
A fire of unknown origin broke out yesterday at a forested section south of Mt. Tapochao, spreading to about a mile-wide radius before being brought under control by firemen.
The fire, which occurred at a place called Evergreen, was reported yesterday at 2:30pm to the Department of Public Safety Fire Division, according to DPS spokesman Eric David. The area got its name from its thick green vegetation.
Firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene. By 4:30pm, it was reported that the blaze was already dying and the entire area covered by the blaze was already secured.
A huge plume of thick smoke from the fire was visible from San Jose, several miles away.
David said the forest fire is the second one to hit Saipan this year.
There was no official report yet as to what caused the fire but the fire division speculates it must have been caused by yesterday’s high temperature. Yesterday’s temperature was recorded at 84o F or 29o C with wind velocity of 16 mph or 26 km per hour.
David said there were no reported casualties from the incident. He said the cause of the fire would still be investigated and the amount of damage would still have to be determined.
A large forest fire was also reported at the boundary of Kannat Tabla and Papago Sunday night. Firefighters had a hard time putting out the blaze but they got lucky after a heavy downpour helped extinguished the fire.
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