Planet Earth is a tinderbox
Wildfires are going to figure greatly in our future. They are getting stronger and longer and more intense
There’s an old saying that when an old person dies it’s like a library burns down. Is there a saying for what happens when the whole library burns down?Probably not, because humans don’t like to think of such limitless catastrophe. Think of all that knowledge reduced to ashes and smoke and carried off in the same roaring southeaster that helped whip this fire into a frenzy in the first place. It’s possible that veterans of the #RhodesMustFall struggle cheered to see flames engulf the Rhodes memorial and its eponymous statue, not to mention the very Dutch windmill down the hill.As a metaphor for cleansing a place of colonial relics, you can’t do better than a firestorm. Too bad about the books, though. On Tuesday, the rising sun glowed horribly through a smoke-laden sky. It looked like the poster for Apocalypse Now. The scene was quite literally amplified by Bell UH-1 "Huey" helicopters dropping "Bambi" buckets of water onto the blaze. The Hueys, with that distinctive thudding soun...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.