By E.H. Edejer | March 11, 2025

SAN ANTONIO, Zambales — A huge grassfire here that gained dramatic attention on social media Monday night was fanned by strong winds that stumped firefighters who battled it with rudimentary backpack sprayers, sand, and tree branches.

According to a report from the Bureau of Fire Protection’s fire station in this town, the fire started as early as 12:30 p.m. on Monday at the hills in Sitio Tribu, overlooking the seaside community of Pundaquit, a popular surfing destination.

SF04 Alejo Ramirez, the town’s OIC fire marshal, said that upon receiving a report on the grassfire from Pundaquit barangay chairman Erwin Sadernas, firefighters rushed to the scene but immediately saw a difficult situation.

“The problem was that the fire was too distant to reach with our fire hoses, and the fire trucks couldn’t get closer as they might get stuck on muddy ground,” Ramirez said.

The firemen, along with some barangay officials and members of the Municipal Disaster and Risk-Reduction Management Office, then rode a boat, ascended the hills, and used knapsack sprayer, tree branches and shovel to extinguish the fire.

The San Antonio fire station declared the fire under control at 5:55 p.m. only to be summoned back to the fire scene about an hour later.

“The fire had rekindled and spread swiftly due to strong winds,” Ramirez recalled, adding that station personnel had to rush back to the same location.

Responding firemen first suppressed a fire near some residential houses, then again ascended the slopes to shovel sand and beat back the flames with tree branches.

Their persistence paid off and, at 12:44 a.m., the fire was finally put out.

Ramirez said that except for some damage to one structure, there were no reported injury or casualty from the fire.

The actual cause of fire is yet to be determined. But initial reports reaching the Zambales Provincial Disaster Risk-Reduction and Management Office said that it might have been set by some hunters to renew grass growth, which is favored by boars and other wildlife.

Residents of San Antonio also noted that grassfires ordinarily occur at this time of the year when mountain vegetation gets dry. They also pointed out that a river separated the Pundaquit community from the hills that burned nearby.

“We get grassfires here every year; it’s nothing extraordinary,” said a resident. “But last night’s fire was huge and it played out big on social media.” 

PHOTO: The Pundaquit grassfire also spread like wildfire on social media. (Photo from a facebook post by Diana Florendo)