Forest fire hits Philippines' highest peak, hikers evacuated
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Manila - At least 700 hikers were forced to evacuate the Philippines' highest peak after a forest fire broke out, damaging more than 100 hectares, an official said Sunday.
The fire started on Saturday from a campsite near the summit of Mount Apo, said Joey Recimilla of the tourism office of Kidapawan City, 955 kilometres south of Manila, a town near the base of the mountain.
The hikers, including eight foreigners, were evacuated from the popular trails on Mount Apo as fire fighters battled the blaze, Recimilla said.
"We just hope there will be no strong winds, and we pray for rain," he said.
Rising nearly 3,000 metres, the densely forested Mount Apo is home to many rare plants and hundreds of species of bird, including the critically endangered Philippine Eagle, which is the national bird and largest member of the eagle family.
The mount is a potentially active volcano, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, but there is very little data on past eruptions.
The 71,796-hectare Mount Apo National Park spans seven towns and cities across the three provinces of Davao del Sur, Cotabato and North Cotabato.
- DPA
