Article | Fires Where I'm From

 By Eurielle

Written on January 19, 2022

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A palm tree on fire

On January 12th, there was a palm tree on fire behind a neighboring house's backyard. Thankfully, the fire truck was fast and efficient when it comes to watering it away. However, there were times, especially where I was from and during summer, in particular, that fires were harder to put out. 

A fire could start because of a manmade mistake or because it was blazing hot in the summer. Either way, it was a dangerous scenario that could affect the environment and the people living in the area. In addition, fires also produced bad air which was quite dangerous when a person inhaled it.

There were times I would wake up and see a saturated sky - the atmosphere was glum and gloomy. It was very depressing. It was also very concerning. 

However, not only plants on fire were the concern, especially in our area. Sometimes, there would be reckless drivers out there. If I remembered correctly, it was more than a month ago, there was another fire behind our house along the main road. The air smelt like burned tires and there was a huge black smoke climbing the sky. Then, a couple of years ago, a whole building was on fire. Once again, it was along the main road. It was such an old building as well, part of the city's history. I think it was an abandoned building, like most in this dying city, but it was still part of it. However, only scorched walls were left, and the city completely brought it down. The location remained empty until this day. 

I was bewildered for taking a picture so perfect - dark and gloomy background, and a red-orange fiery fire atop a tall palm tree. The black smoke polluted the air. It reminded me that there were too many precious things around us, but only when it was in the destruction that we learn to appreciate them. And no, this was not in the late afternoon or whatever, but life, it seemed, looked as gloomy as this these days.