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sweetheart
06-May-06, 14:19
Last 2 nights ago, thursday midnight, I saw a fire burning in the strathy
commons. I called the fire brigade and went out for several hours of
firefighting, the fire was out by 5am after burning a few hectares. The
fire was set in the same place where a fire was set 2 years ago, one
that burned a large area taking the fire brigade to put out before it
got near the houses, and both times, criminally illegal.

Both fires were set in high winds not following ANY of the guidelines
for a proper muirburn:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/26800/0014463.pdf

Worse still, the fire was set upwind of 2 houses, one with a woman
in her 90's, and another gentleman in his 60's. Around their houses are
fields with animals, lambs and RSPB protected coastal grasslands.
Clearly the firebugs hoped not to be caught early, as their
fire would burn the entire west strathy common if they got lucky
that the fire get a nights start before anyone caught it. If it
jumped a small road, it had the potential to burn all of strathy
point. It was by sheer luck that it was caught early.

It is pretty much common knowledge who set these fires, and if the
law can't catch them, i hope an ASBO does. The fire last year that
burned through armadale towards kirtomy was simply dangerous and
foolhardy to set.. so for 3 years running, these firebugs have
endagered their neigbhorsand the local wildlife with an annual fire...
at least 1 a year.

Can ANYTHING be done? I'm sorry i'm upset about this, my breathing
is not back to normal yet from inhaling all the smoke during the fire
fighting... i'm upset that the kids are that stupid, and that evil, that
they would set fire upwind from a sleeping old lady and a bunch of
lambing sheep. (all involved are locals)

The cost of the fire brigade should be paid by those fire setters, at
the very least. An asbo would be even cheaper than a fire brigade.
Or a fire watch officer to work the commons for 1 month during the
fire season to keep the fires from being set.

Ann
06-May-06, 15:33
Hope you are recovering and I agree with you that this is a very dangerous "game" they are playing. It is unbelieveable that this is happening.

I was brought up in the country and we had bonfires but were well aware of the guidlines and dates permitted.

Take care,
Regards,
Ann

sweetheart
06-May-06, 15:56
I am recovering well on this beautiful day. Thank god not much came
to harm, the number of nesting birds who's lives got saved 2 nights ago
was a lot, and they're singing to me. I love the birds, and i can't
believe that people are so dead that they would exterminate life
like that... how dead must a person feel inside to hate like that.

I frankly really don't want to know how they got so degenerate.
Its tragic and sad. I feel mostly sad... just inexplicably sad.
I walked across the blackened fire ground, where
the dry spring growth has been burned away, like scalded skin, i felt
like the earth and i were in communion, and i was crying for being burned.
I found where i think they set the fire based on its spread pattern and
the wind, just to see what the man saw when he made his choice.

It was so intense, the fire fight. Before the fire brigade came, i was sure
that it was beyond my capacity to put out, but i calculated that the one
fire line would die at a road, and started at the end that would spread to
the most ground. When the fire brigade came, they started down
towards the sheep and the dwelling houses. And the night is a vision
of flaming fires, sparks and smoke with invisible shapes slapping down
the flames. I don't have a proper flapper, and am using a spade instead,
so my gloves got hot and singed from the heart of being close on the
flames... rubber boots smoking.

I couldn't see anything but the flames, and i kept falling down in the dark
running back up the fireline to put out parts that were coming back to
flame. In my heart the pounding urgency of staving off the death of
the whole wilderspace around me. I must thank the firesetters for
showing me how much i love the land and its beautyful sublime colour.

namaste,



It is good to see, and the hundreds hectares that were NOT burned,
look simply sublime and my heart is soaring for that today.