00:00Scorched landscapes, heavy smoke and long hours battling flames under intense heat, those were some of the realities faced by
00:09firefighters during this year's bushfire season, which affected communities across the country.
00:15Fire Prevention Officer Jude Rogers says more than 2,300 bushfires have already been recorded for the year, marking a
00:23significant increase over 2025.
00:26This year, we have increased and that increase is well over 30% of the previous year. So we're at
00:342,300 bushfires at this point in time. And we still have, I would say, two more months to go.
00:42We're wrapping up May and we just have a little bit of June to go. I suspect that we may
00:48get up to just around 25 to 2,800 bushfires in total.
00:52Roger says March recorded the highest number of incidents with 1,097 fires, while the Southern Division accounted for the
01:01largest share of reports.
01:03He says investigators believe many of the fires were linked to human activity, including deliberate burning and careless disposal of
01:10cigarette butts.
01:11When we see an increase in bushfires, it normally indicates that the human factor has impacted directly on the flora
01:19and fauna. And I would say the main cause would be human interaction and things that are set to burn
01:24willfully by human beings.
01:26Roger says the long-term environmental effects become more evident during the rainy season.
01:31Our environment, which we only get the real impact when we see the rainy season come into being, the vegetation
01:38that has been eroded, the vegetation that has been, the roots of the trees that have been destroyed, causes desilting
01:44and eventually flash flooding and more flooding taking place in the flatlands.
01:50And that's where we see the full impact of the bushfire season on our flora and fauna.
01:55He says the volume of bushfires also placed the pressure on emergency response resources.
02:01We would always order to protect life above property.
02:05And so we're then going to have to, in some cases, we would have to divert our resources away from
02:10the bushfires and let them burn themselves out in some instances and focus on the life-saving aspect of the
02:18fire service,
02:18which is to protect persons' lives, persons who may be trapped in buildings, persons who may be trapped in vehicles.
02:24You'll find that the calls that will come in, we would prioritize based on life.
02:29Fire officials says public awareness and cooperation remain critical in reducing bushfires and protecting communities and the environment.
02:38Most persons are not as adverse to bushfires until it affects them.
02:43And so when we see our neighbor lighting, we may not, unless it affects you directly, persons may not necessarily
02:49want to venture to call.
02:51But we are asking if you can place that trouble call to the fire service, report these incidences to the
02:56fire service.
02:57And so we can actually make the warning, we can go do the visits, we can warn persons.
03:02And in some cases, prosecution through the police service, we can bring evidence that the police can prosecute persons that
03:10are actually breaking the law.
03:12Meanwhile, fire sub-officer Thurmos warns that bushfire risk could continue despite the start of the wet season.
03:19We're going to have a dry than normal wet season. That was the central theme.
03:23So yes, we're going to have a wet season and they already planned for that, but they also want the
03:27public to know that because of the extended dry season,
03:32that conditions in the dry season are going to be extended for a little bit.
03:35So that the fire risk or the risk of fire taking place in terms of us, we need to be
03:40more aware that there's still an elevated period where bushfires could take place.
03:45They extended it from May to July and they also mentioned that in Tobago, they may have short periods of
03:55drought until the end of August.
03:56Authorities are again urging the public to report illegal burning and reminding citizens that permits are required for private bush
04:04burning activities.
04:06Persons found breaching the law can face fines up to $20,000.
04:10Charlotte Kisto, TV6 News.
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