There clearly is a different perception of fire here. Somehow I was raised with the basic thought that unless in a controlled environment like a fireplace or internal combustion engine, fire is something to be avoided. Here though it is a basic way of life and people don’t seem to concern themselves with it. We woke up last night and could smell smoke – in the US that would be a bad thing but not here. There are times when you are driving down the road and you can’t see for the smoke.
The other day Ryan and Katherine were at a local tuck shop (neighborhood grocery) and there was a fire on the ground next to the building. They foolishly said, “Do you know there is something on fire next to the building?” and the man’s response was, “Yes, I set it!”
The good news is that most buildings are masonry and if the thatched roof catches fire there is plenty of tall grass around to repair. It seems that if a fire gets out of hand there is always a neighbor to help stamp it out. Don’t bother calling the fire department – there isn’t one.
So, why all the fires? Without garbage pick-up, your waste ends up in a burn pile at your home. Many people have vegetable gardens on their property and since they don’t have a tractor or weed eaters, the only way to prep the area and remove waist high grass is to burn it. That even applies to weed growth around your house (i.e. to control snakes like the seriously poisonous black mamba that can climb in windows or openings in the wall) – just set it ablaze.
I wonder how many of us that cut grass as a part time job in school dreamed of just setting it ablaze? I wonder what homeowners insurance rates would be if this were typical in the US.
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