Forest fire
By GreenMoo
@GreenMoo (11833)
August 8, 2012 9:31am CST
Early last night the smell of smoke began to intrude on our evening. At sunset the sky against the hills was dark with smoke. By the time I slept my eyes were sore and scratchy with smoke. It's forest fire season again.
The current fire is about some distance from me, so I currently have little to fear. But the lingering smell of burning pine is a reminder of how terrifying they are, and how quickly they take hold.
Are forest fires a part of summer where you live?
I have the utmost respect for the firemen and women here. They are astonishingly clever at redirecting fire which has already taken hold so that it bypasses homes and businesses. Their tools are often bulldozers and strimmers. Not to mention helicopters which scoop and drop water from above.
It's not necessary for me to have bags packed in the car at the moment, but it's something we've had before. Have you ever had to evacuate because of fire?
5 people like this
12 responses
@peavey (16936)
• United States
9 Aug 12
We have forest fires around here, but mostly several miles to the west, where the mountains are. This year we had a very bad fire in the mountains and the smoke covered miles and miles, including this area. Many people who lived in the mountains had to evacuate and some lost their homes.
I, too, have a lot of respect for the firefighters, as well as a lot of gratitude.
2 people like this
@p1kef1sh (45681)
•
8 Aug 12
You would think here in the south of England are we would have no experience of forest fires, and you would be right. But we do have heath fires and they spread extremely rapidly and are usually either the result of carelessness or deliberate acts by mindless idiots. During hot summers-not this one-the news is often full of reports of the Fire Brigade attending a heath fire somewhere or other. Luckily for us we have yet to be challenged by one. I hope that your forest fire behaves itself and is extinguished soon.
2 people like this
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
9 Aug 12
Last night the valley was full of smoke again but it is apparently under control now. Of course, things can change so rapidly though. Just a change of wind direction is enough. A few years ago exactly that happened near us, and a firefighter was killed when he was trapped. Horrendous.
Along the M3 around Bagshot / Lightwater seems to be a favourite spot for firebugs and heath fires. Bloody idiots.
1 person likes this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
8 Aug 12
AH, yes...Forest Fires, the bain of existence on a small Island! 5 Years ago..we had a tremendously huge fire, on this Island...and we were all evacuated to one location! Our real challenge, even tho' we are surrounded by water, is that the Ferry service is also suspended and we are left stranded! Summer also being the season the population quadruples, meaning 4 to 5 thousand to feed, house, etc.! Living thru those 12 days of terror (mop-up, suppression crews remained for 2 months)it made me rethink...and so I purchased a boat large enough to evacuate my animal friends and family! An added cost of living here, but a real assurance of a chance of survival! Home never felt so good!
1 person likes this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
8 Aug 12
the Ferries are based on the Mainland and Vancouver Island, about 14 miles away to each respectively! Being a business (the Ferries) not a Crown Corporation anymore...in their inimitable wisdom, choose NOT to land at the dock for fear of being mobbed...DUH! Small planes with floats couldn't see for the smoke to land...SO we were S.O.L.! Thank goodness for the Martin Mars Water Bombers..and the hundreds of OFF-Island firefighters...but an Island can run out of food and potable water pretty quick under these circumstances! It sure brings out the "me first" in people, and mass panic! Forest Fire is the thing I FEAR most..as we are very wooded! 
1 person likes this
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
9 Aug 12
I would imagine that the state would take control in those circumstances, and find some sort of alternative. I obviously imagine wrong!
I'm not surprised at all that you've invested in a boat. I would have thought that immediately following that fire would have been a good time to be a boat salesman ...
2 people like this
@bounce58 (17380)
• Canada
8 Aug 12
There are forest fires here in the Pacific Northwest, but luckily I don't live near where they often occur.
I also have utmost respect for these men and women who fight forest fires. Sometimes they travel to different places just fighting off fires and applying their knowledge and skills to keep other people safe.
2 people like this
@inertia4 (27978)
• United States
8 Aug 12
I have never experienced that in my life. No, that is not part of our summers here. We have no forests in the city. LOL. But I can imagine that it is actually very scary to experience. I would not want to be involved in that. Yes the firemen do deserve our support and they are doing a dangerous job. Even here in the city, they do risk their lives everyday.
@riyauro (6421)
• India
8 Aug 12
I am from a place where we do have forest fires during summer but luckily I don't have house close to forest. We have big pine tree plantation and when summer comes they start forest fire. I have been to see the fire. It is bad and the people have to move to better place because smoke is bad.
thanks for sharing, have a wonderful day. 
2 people like this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
12 Aug 12
Hi Moo,
Happy you are safe friend. I'm in Australia and live in the bush in a small town. Because of fire danger we have our own fire truck and a bunch of folk at the ready in case of fire. Meanwhile, we've already been burning clearing fires, even though it's mid winter here. Most of us keep rubbish at a minimum and keep long grass mown. Some people don't care but what can you do.
I've not had to evacuate nor been close to a bushfire but here in Australia, there's always a threat.
@leeloo (1492)
• Portugal
9 Aug 12
It is really actually quite scary thinking of fires as part of the summer, like flowers in spring, rain in winter and fires in summer. The same has happened here though. This year the city I live in has not had fires close by, but four years back it was nearly totally surrounded, houses were destroyed. I was not here for the worst of it but friends and family say it was really scary, the fact that only a few roads were available because the remainder was blocked by fire, made the prospect of evacuation just as scary.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (51811)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
8 Aug 12
Last summer, the other end unit of this row house caught fire and I had to stay the night at a friend's because the fire chief let me back in my unit just long enough to get my meds and purse. No damage to my unit but smelt like I'd been camping for a week.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (51811)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
9 Aug 12
Yeah, just about a year ago. Here's the post, if anyone's interested:
http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/2570597.aspx
@changjiangzhibin89 (17239)
• China
9 Aug 12
It was frightful even though the fire was some distance off where you live in.It seems as if you have forest fire every so often there at this time of the year.Maybe it tends to be a dry summer there.What started the fire this time ? I also admire the firemen for their having much experience in putting out the fire and throwing fear to the winds when they do that.Hope everything is alright!
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (17239)
• China
10 Aug 12
Your guess is probably correct.Most fire are man-made.Quite the contrary to yours,rainy weather is the rule here in summer.Recently,with the typhoon named "anemone"hitting land,It has rained in torrents.There was force 10 wind (on the Beaufort scale)in some place and some trees were uprooted.
