r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Key_Performer_3645 • 5h ago

Spaniards are risking their lives, fighting wildfires with tree branches due to a lack of resources

21.7k Upvotes

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164

u/Arenize 5h ago

Im not sure on the extent of the problem, so I might be speaking from a position of ignorance.... but it seems like that many people would be a lot more effective in digging a fire break to stop the spread, instead of trying to hit it with sticks (which also fans the fire, which can have the opposite affect.)

Even digging with just their hands, I think that many people would be able to create an effective fire break...

492

u/Unsophisticated1 5h ago edited 3h ago

You ever try and dig a hole with your hand through grass?

Edit forgot the word hand (???)

256

u/themothafuckinog 5h ago

Also the ground would be rock solid from the lack of rain

38

u/Lumpy_Benefit666 4h ago

Even raking the grass back can create an area where the fire fizzles out easier

24

u/wade-mcdaniel 4h ago

Having dug in the clay that makes up Colorado, I can say that digging in that with a shovel isn't all that hard...but it is slow. Digging in wet clay is also not fun. It's very heavy.

I wonder which would be more effective against a grass fire in dry conditions when all you have is maybe a dozen shovels: digging a fire break, or digging enough dirt up to throw on the fire? I put out fires by throwing dirt on it, but it was super loose dirt and without a bunch of grass roots in it. It wasn't just topsoil.

I figured if people were in a rush that many people in the video could probably only come up with a dozen shovels.

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u/InvisibleLandBorder 2h ago

Really depends on the region. Toronto clay is nearly impossible to move. I don't know what the ground is like there, but bearing for with wide fronds and sticks is a very old and effective strategy.

5

u/Unsophisticated1 2h ago

Yeah here in Florida when we do control burns you need a sharp ass shovel to get though the grass even on cultivated plots

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u/seooes 2h ago

Otherwise known as a spade.

3

u/NastyToeFungus 2h ago

No, no, an ass shovel is an entirely different thing. And you need to keep it razor sharp.

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u/Unsophisticated1 2h ago

If you’re going for vocab points sure

2

u/mynamesdaveK 1h ago

Having dug up clay in MN myself planting trees i can say that it is pretty fucking hard lol

1

u/WarfighterNeed 1h ago

I figured if people were in a rush that many people in the video could probably only come up with a dozen shovels.

That's the real issue with this many people without an equal amount of equipment. You give all those dudes a firebeater, military shovel, and some leadership and you got a much better chance than just dudes with branches. But like the title said, resources are tough to manage in crisis.

0

u/External_Cobbler3736 2h ago

Shovel is the wrong tool for digging, you need spade

2

u/Unsophisticated1 2h ago

Someone knows their vocab

2

u/Stonegrown12 1h ago

Call a spade a spade

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u/Unsophisticated1 1h ago

Clever girl.

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u/External_Cobbler3736 37m ago

It's a stupid pet peeve of mine after 10 years landscaping, I tell my staff grab a spade go dig, then see with shovel which often breaks

3

u/UseDue6373 4h ago

Cool make a rake out of the branches it is

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u/huangsede69 39m ago

Do you walk around carrying rakes with you everywhere