A group of mountaineers and bikers from Cotabato City saw the beginning of the fire at Mt. Apo, as shown in this picture taken at 4:59 p.m. on Saturday (26 March 2016), as they set up tent in the camping site beside Lake Venado. The Cotabato group claimed three unidentified mountaineers who slept at the peak may have caused the fire, as they cooked there and left apparently not knowing there was still fire left behind.

Photo courtesy of Tutin Sapto / Cotabato All-Terrain Bikers Association (CATBA) | Read story