It’s the stuff nightmares are made of , or at the very least sleepiness nights.. The sight of vast clouds of smoke swirling in the gale force winds, far too close, , continual aerial activity with the planes trying to contain the fire before nightfall, and the sound of numerous gas bottles exploding . The fire started late afternoon and it would be dark by nine , after which it would be too dangerous for low level flying. So the firemen , and women ( our local chief is a woman ) had only a few hours to prevent the next village from burning down . Somehow 7/800 had been mobilised and they succeeded ; just . Hence the thoughts of what if …; it had started later , it had been closer to our house, it had been geographically much bigger , ( it had only covered an area of about 5 by 5 kilometres ),( the picture in the paper the next day )the of sheets of flames the size of the trees they were consuming ….
Several days later I drove around the affected area; it was sobering. Acres of black stumps that were once a grove of trees, the remains of a pool slide , and the shell of what was someone’s home. Then there were flowers tied to a post , a memorial to someone who didn’t leave alive ( I think it was a scooter who crashed the next day ). The fire had jumped a major road in the strong winds . But , the positive : the gallant firemen had saved a few isolated houses ,( and the town !), with burn’t trees just metres away . That took courage. ..and then there were already signs of new life with green shoots emerging from the black ; and the owner of the destroyed camp site had already removed most of the debris , determined to be ready for next season .
So I reviewed our fire preventions , they were clearly far too timid . Perhaps suitable for a small bonfire size outbreak , but no where good enough for a conflagration of the size we had just witnessed. As I had previously said , we had to give the firemen the time and space to save our house; a lot more . My temporary rain guns will be replaced by permanent ones on the roof , the fire pump to be permanently relocated and connect to a generator ; all ready for use in the minutes before we flee !
However , the abiding memory of the last week has been one of the whine of the chain saw, well two ; as 10 adjacent pine trees were cleared away to give that all important ‘ cordon sanitaire ‘ around our house. Not a very ‘green’ action , but an essential expedient . Pine trees are a disaster in fires , they almost explode into flame . The oaks burn slowly , so they can remain ; well apart from three which were too close to the garage . Technically ( well actually ) these weren’t even mine ; but I have legal obligation to clear vegetation 50 metres around the house . I decided they were too close , and re-classed them as vegetation .
So we can be more relaxed about the risk of fire ; that is, until the next major one !
PS . it seems as if this last fire was arson, having started in four different places at the same time ; and that would also explain the coincidence of at least four other separate fires this summer ,roughly all in the same area. Suitable punishment? Burning at the stake?
Death all around
Another one bites the dust , and another one …( Queen )
