Baguio residents warned over ‘smog’

Personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection Baguio rushed to Kadaklan Village of Loakan area near Camp John Hay where a fire started in a forested part of the area in the morning of February 23 2024.

BAGUIO CITY — The Baguio City Health Services Office on Friday released an alert to the public on the effects to of the smog created by the smokes from the forest fires in the different parts of Baguio City and Benguet.

CHSO chief Celia Brillantes said the smog — which is a combination of fog and smoke — can cause irritations on breathing and lungs of the people such as cough, colds and even dizziness.

She added that it can also worsen the situation of people who have breathing related ailments such as pulmonary diseases and asthma among others, as she advised the people to wear masks to protect them from the fumes or smogs that Baguio is experiencing.

Brillantes also reminded the people that masks aside from protecting them from the smokes are still much important as the threat of Covid-19 is still around and encouraged individuals with breathing problems to consult their doctors immediately to avoid complications.

Meanwhile, personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection Baguio rushed to Kadaklan Village of Loakan area near Camp John Hay where a fire started in a forested part of the area in the morning of February 23 2024.

The fire started at around 4:30 a.m. and was declared out at 5:57 a.m.

To recall, two forest fires took place on 21 February in two barangays of Itogon, Benguet as personnel of the Tactical Operations Group 1 of the Philippine Air Force helped in suppressing the fire in Barangay Tinongdan particularly in Sitio Binungaan by conducting bambi bucket operations.

Fire authorities estimated that 16 hectares of forest area were raged by fire in Sitio Bonecaw, Barangay Loacan.