Abruzzo burns.
Unfortunately, when we got back from our Sunday roadtrip, we were greeted by the remnants of a fire below the town of Dogliola. The fire had burnt along the Trignina from Dogliola towards Tufillo. It was for the most part extinguished, but there were still embers here and there. Since it was dark, we decided to return yesterday to see what the damage was. Here’s one picture we snapped from the car.
And here’s a view of what once was a green hill. As you can see, the fire was still burning, or rather the hot wind had started it up again. This shot was looking towards the town of Fresagrandinaria which is behind the hill.
So, we decided to head over there. We took the valley road, but quickly determined that wasn’t the way to go as the fire went through the valley and up both sides of the hill. At one point the fire was on both sides of the road from us. I snapped this shot as O quickly put the car in reverse and we hightailed it out of there. Needless to say, it’s a little blurry because we were moving fast. It may seem like a little fire, but this was only a small portion of it. The heat was intense and the smoke was so thick we could hardly breathe.
We went up the hill and found that, as you can see, the fire was on both sides of the valley. The sound it made was incredible. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to enjoy the crackle of a cheery fire burning in the fireplace again without thinking of the roaring furor of the forest burning.
People were out with tractors, plowing around their fields to try to save them from the fire.
The fire continues behind where I was standing and up towards the town of Fresagrandinaria. Unfortunately, as you can see in the next picture, the fire reached the town. The difficulty in putting it out was the lack of water.
This house was right in the path of the fire.
Fortunately no one was home, but the wooden shutters were starting to catch on fire. O and another man jumped the fence to try to see if the water was connected so they could turn it on, but there was none. A few of the men, O included, broke down the gate next to the house (to the left of the white wall), used shovels to shovel dirt on the fire or broke branches off of the olive trees to bash against the fire to put it out. Fortunately they were able to keep the fire from burning the house. The one saving grace is that the houses aren’t built out of wood, so it’s not as easy for the fire to spread.
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Just yesterday we had the boundaries of our fields cleared again. There’s no rain and it’s so dry but the grass and weeds grow anyway. Every morning we wake up to the smell of smoke, but I still haven’t seen anything like you have first hand. (Thank God!)
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The fires finally stopped, but we’re constantly on the lookout now. No fireworks at the festival either which was a wise decision. Until we get some rain, it will continue to be a problem. Sadly enough, the parts of the forest that aren’t burnt now look like it’s autumn since many of the trees are starting to turn yellow and brown from the drought. Keep clearing those boundaries and let’s keep hoping for some rain.
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My husband told me about your site. I was born and lived until the age of 12 in Fresa. Me and my family go back in the summer time and this past year purchased a house not far from my paternal home. The fire came close to my house, on your 5th picture you see our house. My kids love visiting Fresa, family and friends and they get the life style and are proud of their heritage. I am enjoying reading your daily adventures!
Ciao
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I’m glad to hear that your house didn’t get damaged in the fire Gilda, and welcome. It’s good to hear from a neighbor!
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