My what a big hose you have!

Fire is an ever present threat here in Spain. During the summer months the land and vegetation become tinder box dry and it really doesn't take much to start a fire.

One such incidence happened close to my home.

My neighbour whose family have farmed the finca beside mine for generations and who surely knows better than to leave fires unattended did just that, in fact he left 13 in total, but the one that caused a problem was so large the flames rose high above the tree tops, throwing sparks up into the air one of which set fire to a nearby tree.
Of course it was an accident and we do not think for one second he would have gone off for his siesta if he had known that the fire had spread. In fact we didn't know it had until we went out for an afternoon walk with our dogs and came upon this sight.

I remember saying to my husband how it looked like a door perhaps to a fairy's house.  That I hadn't noticed it before and why could I smell burning?

Then we saw the flames. You can just see them in the photo if you look carefully to the right of the picture.

Moving around the tree we then saw this..
 . 


We immediately ran back to the house to fetch some water. Unfortunately all that happened when we threw it on to the fire was it produced a load of steam and continued to burn.





So faced with a fire we could not put out ourselves we called the Bombers (Firebrigade)

Up they came in their little red firetruck. And because this is Spain they brought a few friends too.

The Rural Agents. (Countryside police)


And the Mossos d'escuadra (Police)

All of whom asked us why we had set fire to a tree, doh, we didn't.

After the questions they all settled back to watch the firemen put out the fire using their big hose. (lol)





An hour and a half later they declared the fire out, the danger passed.

And then took it in turns to pose beside the tree showing their approval of a job well done.

.So easily the little fire that consumed and killed the above tree...


Could have gotten out of hand as this fire from May 2013 did.

Which could so easily have left my land and home looking like this.

I am so glad that fireman had such a big hose. lol!