Fires rage on Palawan

Fires rage on Palawan

MANILA (AP): At least 27 forest fires are raging on Palawan Island, which is home to some of the world's rarest and most endangered animals, officials said yesterday.

Estimates on the fires' size differed.

Palawan provincial administrator Jun Vergo said the three biggest fires are tearing through about 1,500 hectares of forests, many of them virgin stands, in the mountains of Rizal and Quezon towns.

Delia Sualog, environment officer of the Palawan capital of Puerto Princesa, said a "visual estimate" showed the area affected was about 1,000 hectares.

Palawan is an island about 400 kilometers long southwest of Manila. It is home to some of the most endangered species of animals such as the mouse deer, the bear cat and the tarsier, the world's smallest primate.