A view of the forest fire in Tuba, Benguet. The photos were taken in the evening of Feb. 21 from Purok Ongasan, Loakan Proper. — BAGUIO CITY PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

BAGUIO CITY — Haze has blanketed the town of Tuba, Benguet all the way to this city due to bush fires, leaving residents contending with the smell of smoke.

Fires within the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) reservation and on Mount Santo Tomas in the part of Barangay Tabaan in Tuba began on Tuesday, alarming residents of Sitio Basa, Camp 4 and parts of Camp 6.

According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in this city, fires have been on and off since the start of February and razed some 20 hectares of forest until Wednesday.

Various groups are involved in putting out the flames; however, smoke still continues to rise as winds continue to blow from the east this week. No declaration of a “fire out” has yet been issued.

The fire that started within the PMA reservation this week is still under investigation, the BFP said. — Artemio A. Dumlao