WILDFIRES have scorched about one-third of Lou Island in Papua New Guinea, destroying forests and other resources as residents appeal for international assistance to contain the blaze.
The island, in Manus Province, has battled wildfires for the past week, in what residents have described as an unprecedented disaster.
Rei Village community leader Ngenge Sasa told RNZ Pacific that the impact had been devastating, with forests used for building materials, roads and gardens affected by the fires.
Sasa said at least one-third of the island appeared scorched, with an entire forest seemingly destroyed.
“It’s a clean sweep,” he said.
“On the Eastern side … all the trees that we use for building our houses, the roads and some of the gardens, all our resources have gone. This is one of the only forests that all of the island used for sawn timber.”
Sasa said the fire appeared to have eased by about 7am local time, although smoke remained visible in the southern part of the island after the blaze had spread across the island the previous day.
“It’s the first kind of fire that islanders have experienced in their life,” he said.
Coordinator Kireni Sparks-Ngenge said residents had been using whatever equipment they could find to fight the flames, but their efforts had been insufficient.
“Community members have been working tirelessly, risking their own safety, to try to kill the fire, but latest reports say that the spread of the fire is out of their control,” she said.
Sparks-Ngenge said monsoon buckets would be among the most useful equipment for fighting the wildfire, but the community had yet to find anyone able to provide and deploy them urgently.
She said other assistance could include assessing the fire’s boundaries, establishing containment lines and using high-volume water pumps directly on active fire fronts.
Sasa said reinforcements from Manus Island had arrived to assist, with firefighters working until 3am while residents continued their efforts across Lou Island.
He said people from different parts of the island were gathering to help contain the remaining fires, carrying water up into the mountains.
Despite these efforts, Sasa said the damage to traditional land and forests had been extensive.
He said forests preserved by previous generations had been destroyed, although he believed another forested area used mainly for gardens on the island’s northern side remained intact.
The fires are occurring amid drought conditions associated with El Niño, which have contributed to bushfires affecting communities across Papua New Guinea.
Residents are appealing for international assistance as local response teams struggle to contain the fires.
SOURCE: RNZ Pacific