SAIPAN — Firefighters with the CNMI Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services battled a deep-seated trash and grass fire in Lower Base Saturday afternoon, one in a string of blazes over recent days that has stretched the agency’s response to what its public information officer called critical levels.
DFEMS got the call at 2:08 p.m. from the Department of Public Safety reporting heavy black smoke in the area, Firefighter Robert Mojica, who also serves as the department’s PIO, told NMI News Service at the scene. Shift Commander JJ Conception was the first to arrive and confirmed heavy black smoke pushing toward nearby buildings, with a power pole already on fire.
Engine 2, Forestry 4 and Forestry 5 responded, Mojica said, along with members of the department’s tent setup team who were pulled off the S.T.R.O.N.G. emergency tent program to help fight the fire.
Mojica described the blaze as a deep-seated fire, with trash, tires and other debris buried beneath what appeared to be a grass-covered mound.
“Even if we keep spraying it, if we don’t get to the bottom, to the source where the actual fire is coming from, that’s how we kill it,” Mojica said. “Right now we’re just putting water on a blanket.”
Shifting winds complicated the response. Mojica said firefighters worked from multiple angles to keep the fire from spreading toward a nearby warehouse and a section of vegetation. He said crews were also able to stop the fire from destroying a CUC power pole that had caught fire and was charred in the middle.
“We don’t want to slow down the process of power to the public,” Mojica said. He thanked CUC for assisting at the scene by directing water to the firefighters.
The Lower Base fire was the second DFEMS responded to Saturday. Mojica said it burned about 200 feet from where a Thursday night fire had broken out in the same general area. A Friday fire burned at the Sunshine Garden area on the left side facing Barny’s Pizza. The cause of Saturday’s fire is under investigation, with the department’s prevention group canvassing DPS and bystanders.
“We’ve hit like critical levels for responding with medical emergencies, responding with suppressive fires,” Mojica said. “We’re actually lucky that right now we’re able to have our engine and our two suppression units.”
He said the rescue unit was working medical calls in the south during the fire response. Mojica said FEMA is embedded with DFEMS for site assessments under the S.T.R.O.N.G. tent program, which has helped speed the process even as fire response pulls personnel.
Mojica issued a public message asking residents to stop burning during recovery.
“Please, please, please no burning,” Mojica said. “Everything is in a very delicate state. All the vegetation is dead. All the trash that’s outside is dead.”
He pointed to a recent Mount Carmel fire where outdoor debris went up in flames as an example of how quickly conditions can escalate.
Engine operator Firefighter Stan Santos manned the pumps, Mojica said. He thanked the JIC team, the governor’s office, EOC, HSEM, Mayor’s Office, CUC and Rota Mayor’s Office for ongoing coordination.
