My First Forest Fire
We were driving out of the Timbaktu collective on our way to the main village. It was around noon, with the hot sun above us, and really dry land and grass all around us. 
You could feel the hot wind blowing. Being the manic trigger-happy photographer that I am, I was looking out of the car window, eagerly scouring the landscape for anything I could train my lenses on. In the distance I noticed something that looked like a fire. As we drove closer, not only was there a fire, but you could see large tracts of land colored black and could plainly see the fire spreading. Now, having grown up in a city, and living in New York, a fire is something you don’t brush off too easily (pardon the pun). However, Subba, the Timbaktu coordinator, looked non-chalantly at it and made some comment about how someone behind us might come and stop it. Seeing the worried expression on our faces however, he decided to stop and along with the driver and a few of the village women we picked up earlier along the road, went up to the fire, picked up a couple of tree branches and swiftly in a matter of minutes, managed to contain the fire.
Subba later explained that fires are pretty common here, and the dry climate contributes to a quick spread. Instead of fighting the fire, they work more to contain it and prevent it from spreading. All in a days work out here.
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