SAIPAN — Hours after pleading with the public to stop burning debris, Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services crews found themselves hiking through dense brush near Susupe Lake behind Sunshine Garden and Barny’s Pizza to battle a second suspicious fire Saturday afternoon.
The call came in around 1:42 pm, just hours after the same crews had finished fighting the overnight Chalan Kanoa fire and spoken with NMI News Service about the dangers of open burning during recovery. The fire at Susupe Lake had broken out on a completely different side of the area from a blaze crews extinguished there on Thursday night.
The owner of Barny’s Pizza spotted the smoke and called 911, fearing the fire would spread toward the building. Firefighters, including Shift Commander Albert Aldan, used chainsaws to cut a trail into the brush and lugged inch-and-a-half hoses hundreds of feet to reach the fire with two lines. A working hydrant across from Sunshine Garden provided water supply.
The cause has not been confirmed, but arson is suspected. “Somebody just started burning — same thing,” said DFEMS PIO Robert Mojica.
Crews had tent setups planned for three locations in Kagman after the fire response. Those missions were delayed but not cancelled.