Blackened earth and the acrid smell of ash!
What happened to our eucalyptus grove down in the wadi??
Our beloved nature place where the grandkids and I used to have adventures!
I found this brush fire putter-outer lying on the ground and stood it up next to a eucalyptus that had lost its bark to the fire.
This is a common emergency tool in Israel, just a wooden stick and a piece of rubber, primitive but effective.
What's it called in English, anyway?
I wonder how the fire started.
Maybe from a falling rocket, but the local authorities didn't want to tell us?
"Keep calm" is the watchword these days, after all.
OK, keep calm, Dina, and forget that this wadi is just two blocks from my house.
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(Linking to ABC Wednesday E Day)
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You would think crater damage would be there in that instance. It looks like it's been quite dry, so a brush fire isn't out of the question.
ReplyDeleteWilliam, yes it is dry season when Israel has no rain for about half a year. So very dry.
ReplyDelete"Crater damage" hmm, that is a term I need. Thanks.
There are signs that a tractor went through, scraping the area, after (or during?) the fire.
I should call the town council and ask, but they are all on vacation this week.
We won't dwell on it! I find the fire-puter-outer emblematic of the Israeli spirit: "What works!"
ReplyDeleteShalom, Dina
Cloudia, ha! I think you are right.
ReplyDeleteWhile on kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley in 1968, I joined in the effort to put out a fire that started in the Martin Buber Forest in the hills above the kibbutz. We used those same rubber batter things like in my photo. It is very scary work trying to whack fire on the ground just a stick's length away from you. And tiring. But it worked!
I am always sad when I see forests fires, and we have more than our shares here in SoCal. I wonder if other kinds of trees could be replanted instead of eucalyptus?
ReplyDeleteFire season is a scary time and we are surrounded by eucalyptus trees which ignite like matches. That paddle thing looks like a very useful instrument for many things.
ReplyDeletedifficult to keep calm these days
ReplyDeleteROG, ABCW
A falling rocket? Yikes! I guess it's probably more like a brush fire which I hope you don't get more of.
ReplyDeleteWhen you asked what it's called in English, I took up the challenge. Google "fire beaters" . . .
ReplyDeleteI sure hope it wasn't a falling rocket. Well, as William said, if there is no crater damage it probably wasn't a projectile, just an ordinary brush fire. And may it stay that way too, where you live!
I hope your eucalyptus grove regenerates over the next few seasons. It's been known to happen.
ReplyDeleteFriends, thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that brush fires are often caused by the hot falling fragments after an Iron Dome missile intercepts a Gaza rocket.
Sara, "fire beater" -- that's it! Thank you!
The brushfire tool is known as a "flapper."
ReplyDeletehttp://firesafetyplus.com/heavydutyfireflapperwithfiberglasshandle.aspx
Thanks Dr. M! Flapper!
ReplyDeleteNow I have the image of a chorus line of flappers standing in the woods dancing. LOL
There is even a Wipi entry for fire flappers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_flapper_%28tool%29
It says the fire flapper tool is also called a swatter or a beater.
Poor eucalyptus trees... I hope you will be able to solve this mystery!
ReplyDeleteAt the back of my mind I seem to remember something about fire and eucalyptus being part of its adaptation so hopefully you will see their return.
ReplyDeleteMore like a bush fire of unknown cause rather than a rocket. There would be a crater.
ReplyDeleteSo sad, hope they grow back.
ReplyDeleteLeslie
abcw team
I hope William is right. It sounds logical.
ReplyDeleteThe town council shouldn't all go on vacation at the same time!
Dina
ReplyDeleteI hope it is just summer fier.But it can also be those rocket's parts.