Country diary: The utter shock of seeing wildfire devastation up close
I'm late for my usual pilgrimage after going on holiday, but my first attempt to find them, at the end of June, was quickly thwarted. A change in the wind direction had brought acrid smoke from wildfires that were burning 20 miles or so to the north. The evening was so dark that it felt like there was an eclipse, before a shower of rain cleared the air.
Once the fires were extinguished and the road across Dava Moor had reopened, we drove over to a favourite nursery and were stunned by the devastation. From the roadside to distant hilltops and far beyond, everything was charred black. We could see where the fire had jumped the road, where the flames had licked up the side of bigger trees, singeing and burning the branches and leaves, leaving the barest of crowns at the top; how the moorland, trees and bushes had been engulfed, leaves and needles burnt to a crisp. The hillsides – normally covered in yellow blooms of broom and gorse by now – were reduced to scorched, twisted branches. There were no skylarks soaring, no stonechats calling from the tops of whin bushes.
Days later, the smell of burning lingered and puffs of smoke still drifted upwards. A smaller, closer fire in Abernethy Forest in 2023 made us realise how lucky we were for it to have been caught so early, but the extent of this one is truly shocking, described by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as potentially one of the biggest outdoor fires Scotland has ever had.
The cause remains unknown, but we've been all too aware of how dry it has been this year and how the climate is changing. 'Extreme wildfire risk' warnings have been a constant presence for months. How fragile these ecosystems are; how careful and vigilant we must be.
Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at guardianbookshop.com and get a 15% discount
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Two more killed amid raging wildfires in Cyprus and Turkey
Two people have been killed in a huge blaze in Cyprus, bringing the death toll from a series of wildfires on the eastern Mediterranean island and in neighbouring Turkey to 12 amid a brutal heatwave that has pushed temperatures to more than 44C. Police said two charred bodies were found on Thursday in a burnt-out car caught up in the Cyprus blaze, which erupted outside Limassol on Wednesday and, fanned by strong winds, rapidly engulfed a string of mountain villages north of the city. The fires, described as the worst on the island in more than half a century, devastated large tracts of southern Cyprus, injuring dozens of people and displacing hundreds. An estimated 250 firefighters battled to contain blazes raging on multiple fronts. The government spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, said the state 'expresses its deep sorrow … over the unjust loss of two of our fellow citizens', adding that what was happening on the island was unprecedented. After appeals for help from the Nicosia government, Greece, Egypt, Israel and the UK, which has an RAF base on the island, said on Thursday they would be weighing in with air support and firefighters, while the EU was sending in water-bombing planes. By midday, nearly 24 hours after it broke out, the infernos had consumed more than 40 square miles of territory, decimating prime agricultural land and dozens of homes in village communities outside Limassol on the Troodos range. Charalambos Theopemptou, the Green MP who chairs the Cypriot parliament's environmental committee, spoke of a 'tragic situation' with blazes fuelled by extreme high temperatures, gale-force winds and a severe drought. Temperatures nudging 44C were forecast to rise further on Friday as a week-long heatwave intensified across southern Europe. 'We haven't seen such devastating fires since the Turkish invasion in 1974,' Theopemptou told the Guardian. 'It's tragic, people have died, 72 houses and 91 cars have been burned, it's absolute chaos.' He said part of the reason for the destruction was that preventive measures had not been taken, including the implementation of a public warning system that an EU directive voted into law in 2022. 'Illegal waste dumps haven't been cleared, [inflammable] vegetation hasn't been removed, basic infrastructure like big cement water tanks and hose pipe points aren't in place, all of which has helped the fires spread,' he added. At least six separate wildfires were burning across Turkey, the Turkish agriculture and forestry minister, İbrahim Yumakli, said on Thursday, warning that strong winds and scorching heat were creating 'extremely dangerous' conditions across the country. Ten firefighters were killed on Wednesday battling a fire in the western Eskişehir province, with 14 others injured. The fire subsequently spread to Afyonkarahisar, another central province, where several towns and villages were evacuated. The victims were caught when the flames suddenly changed direction, causing them to be 'burned alive', a local MP said. Turkey has been sweltering since Sunday in temperatures ranging between 6C and 12C above the seasonal norms. In the northwestern province of Bilecik, fires raged for a fourth consecutive day, as firefighters struggled to contain them. 'They couldn't intervene. There is no decent road, forests are thick and it's rocky,' Cemil Karadag, a local resident, said. Karadag told Reuters the fire had 'engulfed our village from two or three sides … The firefighters couldn't intervene … It spread very quickly with the effect of the wind, but, thank God, the centre of our village wasn't damaged that much'. A wildfire erupted in the Black Sea province of Sakarya, forcing the closure of a key motorway and the evacuation of several villages and small towns, and others in Karabuk, home of the Unesco World Heritage City of Safranbolu, and Manisa. Scientists have long warned that burning fossil fuels is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves more likely and more intense.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
New steps to prevent future flooding in Rotherham
A new team of volunteer flood wardens are being trained and flood prevention kits have been handed out in parts of than 250 homes were flooded in Catcliffe and Treeton in October 2023, when Storm Babet wreaked havoc across have been described as the "the eyes and ears of the community" during bad weather, while the Aqua Packs are said to provide an easy-to-store alternative to traditional packs were handed out during a drop-in session at the Chapel Walk Neighbourhood Centre, where 73 homes, along with the local café, shop, and hairdressers, received supplies. With the backing of Rotherham Council and the Environment Agency, residents have also been are developing a formal community flood plan and learning how to act quickly and support others in sessions, held at Catcliffe Memorial Hall, have equipped volunteers with key knowledge about flood risks and response strategies, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. "Flood Wardens play a crucial role in keeping people safe," said a member of the training team. "They're a friendly and reassuring presence, helping to share information and offer support when it's most needed." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Energy grants for low-income households in Hull
Low-income households in Hull can apply for funding to make their homes warmer and cheaper to City Council said it had secured £3.4m from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to help reduce fuel poverty and enable eligible residents to make energy-saving home money will be allocated over a three-year period, officials scheme covers things like wall, loft and underfloor insulation, air-source heat pumps and solar panels. Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, portfolio holder for housing, said: "Even though we're currently experiencing warm, summer weather, it's really not that long until things turn colder, so we want to let residents know that there is help available ahead of the autumn and winter."Because there is limited funding available, we need to make sure it's used wisely to help us support those who need it most," he be eligible certain criteria must be met and people can find out more and apply via the government website or by contacting the council's warm homes team. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
