Friday, November 03, 2006

Fire! Again. Smokey time to re-name Chung Yeung festival?

Mister B has long held the opinion that the just-celebrated Chung Yeung festival should be re-named Burn a Hillside Festival.

Without fail, every year families clean their ancestors' graves and leave, among other things, burnt offerings. This being the dry season, hillsides catch alight and thus we are treated at night to the sight of flaming necklaces advancing across the mountains.

This year, the outer wind bands of typhoon Cimaron fanned the flames mightily. Of the 139 hill fires reported, the one in Tai Lam Country Park near Tsuen Wan New Town in Hong Kong's New Territories has destroyed an estimated 65,000 trees and made a lot of smoke.

It has taken nearly 680 firefighters and volunteers as well as three helicopters the best part of three days to put out the flames. Hillside fire fans declare the Tai Lam blaze to be the most extensive hillside fire these past ten years.

Welcome to Charcoalsville.

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