This morning was a run day: 2 days before I had followed my mums’ advice and done some hill sprints to help me cope better with the uphill sections of my runs – I had never learned to love those uphills, in fact most of the time, I positively hate them, but considering where I live, it is not something that I can choose to ignore – so I decided to tackle them in an organised manner and am suffering a bit from it today :/
So I chose to do a shorter run this morning, something to get my legs shaken out, ease the muscles a tad. I ran the lower road, what we know as road number 1. I noticed when I got to it that there was some smoke further along so I ran 3km or so and found the source of the smoke: grasses and stubble in a field were on fire and the flames were threatening not only someones’ grass stack but some young trees on the forest reserve side as well. I called the lodge and asked for 2 people to come fast-fast – I knew that Tom was out so they had no vehicle. I also asked someone to fetch some help in the village and together: 3 women, I man and me, each with a bush thrashing at the flames and my dogs crying, either because they were scared, or scared that I may be in danger, or both.
Luckily, despite the wind, it didn’t take us long to get the fire under some control, or at least to a point where the fire was not immediately threatening the forest, or their houses but if we hadn’t reached it when we did, there could have been untold damage within and without the forest reserve.
I decided that that was definitely enough excitement for one morning and ran back the way I came, wondering how close my 'help' was... it turns out, they were closer to the lodge than to the fire and clearly in no hurry to get there... ahemmmm: a little talking was in order :/
I was cheered by the fact that people came out to help but it is a stark reminder of why we need to raise awareness as to the hazards of these fires and why they represent such a threat to their livelihoods.
Little by little, we are getting there I think, pang'ono, pang'ono as they say here :)