During the summer I am destined to be surrounded by wildfires. California had a particularly busy summer while I was there, last summer in Sicily was marred by smoky skies, and this year while I was in Puglia, there were more wildfires. (Feed readers, you’ll want to click through the site to see the video in this post.)
Last year you might have heard of the problems in Puglia’s Gargano with forest fires getting out of control and trapping tourists on the beaches. In fact, there were rumors that several people had died but according to this Reuters article, two of the deaths may or may not have been related to the fires.
But the fact remains that now people get a bit spooked when on the many beaches of Gargano in Puglia, Italy. Many of the beaches are only a few meters deep and are backed up against a cliff that, if it caught on fire, could definitely trap you down at the water.
This particular afternoon, we were at a beach that you may recognize from my post How to Open and Eat Ricci di Mare, Sea Urchins. That day, we probably noticed the smoke at the same time we noticed the firefighting efforts: in the form of Canadair “Scooper” planes (similar to this CL-215 model), or better known in Italy simply as “Canadair“, flying directly over the beach where we were laying and relaxing.
And when I say directly overhead, that’s exactly what I mean.
These “Canadair” fight fires by scooping up sea water and making continuous drops on the fire. Luckily, or unluckily, we were close enough to the fire to witness firsthand the path of the scoops and drops.
The Canadair planes flew overhead every few minutes so I was even able to get a video of it just as it passed overhead.
At a certain point, a second Canadair joined the firefighting, so we thought it might be prudent to head home since we had had a full day of sun (and the shade was creeping over the cliff) and didn’t need to risk unnecessarily.
As we left, we watched the progress of the two Canadairs and they continued to fly over our heads. That’s when I got perhaps the most beautiful shot of the day. The bright colors of the planes definitely seem to make a pretty picture of disaster.
How close have you come to a wildfire or its firefighting efforts?
Sadly, we saw these planes trying to put out the hundreds of fires intentionally set last summer in Greece.
I shudder each time I see one pass over (oh no, not another fire).
Wow. I’ve never seen anything beyond a controlled burn, but those pictures are beautiful. In a scary sort of way…
Living in southern California we are unfortunately too close, too often. Last summer we had things packed up and ready to go if we had to evacuate, but we’re close to the coast and didn’t have to leave. Very scary though…
One summer the entire countryside around Catanzaro seemed to catch fire. The flames never threatened the city itself, but we waded through a haze of smoke and falling ash for what seemed like weeks.
I’ve been to the Gargano, and the idea of being trapped by a wildfire on one of those claustrophobic strip beaches makes my flesh run cold. Many of them are hard enough to access as it is.
About four years ago we were driving from Washington state to California (San Diego) and they had wild fires going in Los Angeles, San Diego, and in between the two. When we got on a major freeway in San Diego headed into the hilly side of the city, we actually drove through a fire that was ON the freeway that hadn’t been responded to yet. And I was at the wheel!
Whenever my husband tries to take credit for some scary driving feat, I always say, “Yeah? Well I drove through fire!”
Living in L.A. I’ve seen my share. The closest one was the one that burned near the Hollywood sign. We watching it burn from our office.
that should be “watched it”
Six years ago Kelowna lost 250 homes due to a forest fire. It started in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park. I had a broken leg so did not go into the city at all but many of my friends were evacuated and very close to loosing their homes.
I was in the Gargano region last year just after the fires and my trip pictures show a gorgeous sea surrounded in part by brown forests — very sad.
But I didn’t know the fires had resumed this year.
We were pretty lucky with fires this year as there weren’t *as* many around, but I did post about the Canadair planes last July; we also have helicopters with big buckets that are regular sights flying over my house to the sea, unfortunately.
I grew up outside of Aix En Provence, at the foot of the Saint Victoire, that Cezanne painted on fire so many times. I can remember the sounds of the Canadair flying over our house like it was yesterday. As a kid I was fascinated by them…not in a morbid way but as a “look at the water belly plane!” way. Anyways….beautiful pictures!
I live on a small island in British Columbia. A couple of years ago we were sitting outside by the ocean when we started to smell smoke. Within a few minutes a Canadair plane flew overhead and we knew we were in trouble. We’re so grateful for those planes and the hundreds of firefighters who arrived from all over the Pacific Northwest. The island was tinder-dry and we could have lost everything – luckily the wind changed direction just in time. Thanks for the dramatic photos.