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7 brush fires hit NMI in 5 days
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Posted on May 30 2017
Firefighters from the Commonwealth Ports Authority’s Aircraft Rescue Firefighting try to extinguish a brush fire in As Gonno yesterday afternoon. As of press time, another wildfire was still raging in Talafofo. At least seven grass fires hit the CNMI in the past five days. (Ferdie de la Torre)
Summer is officially here, with at least seven brush fires hitting the CNMI in the past five days, destroying several acres of vegetation. Fortunately, no one has been injured and no house has gone up in flames.
As of press time yesterday, a grass fire was still raging in Talafofo, where two acres of vegetation have already been burned, according to Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services spokesman Derek Gersonde.
Gersonde said he received the call about the Talafofo fire at 3:20pm.
A few hours before the Talafofo fire, firefighters from the Commonwealth Ports Authority’s Aircraft Rescue Firefighting and DFEMS extinguished two separate brush fires in As Gonno.
Gersonde said brush fires also broke out on Tinian on Thursday and on Rota on Friday.
On Friday, brush fires occurred near the Hopwood Middle School in San Antonio and in As Gonno.
He said another fire swept through bushes in Paupau last Saturday.
Gersonde said they are still investigating the cause of these wildfires.
