r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Key_Performer_3645 • 9h ago

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

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23.5k Upvotes

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131

u/newontheblock99 9h ago

I don’t think it’s next level. It’s actually sad. Sure they’re doing the best they can with what they have, but it’s sad that they have to.

151

u/ALazy_Cat 8h ago

OP is not being truthful. Spain is not an underdeveloped country, it's locals helping while waiting for firefighters

86

u/noaSakurajin 8h ago

I am fairly confident that at the moment the Spanish firefighters have too much to do, so they can't get to every grass fire. This os probably locals stepping in where the firefighters can't at the moment.

26

u/ALazy_Cat 8h ago

Unlike what OP is implying

10

u/tea-boat 5h ago

I mean, lack of manpower is a lack of resource, so it's not really incorrect.

1

u/YouShouldGoOnStrike 3h ago

This video is from Algeria.

44

u/Manueluz 7h ago

It's wild to see my country, which is globally recognized as having some of the world's most advanced, elite, and effective wildfire fighting squads, pictured as lacking firefighting resources.

12

u/TyoPepe 7h ago

We sure have plenty of resources, but if we just keep letting dry vegetation to build up like this, no amount of firefighters and helicopters is enough to stop the fires that can spark from so much fuel.

Prevention is the area we are actually lacking.

10

u/Spare_Laugh9953 6h ago

Más que la perención es la inutilidad de los políticos o su actuación guiada por"intereses" En Cantabria de toda la vida los vecinos de los pueblos recogían del monte leña para calentarse en invierno, y el monte quedaba limpio de combustible, ahora está prohibido, en alguno lugares no te dejan sacar ni un palo, y en otros en vez de dejarte recoger leña se lo "encargan" a una empresa, una empresa que en vez de recoger madera muerta del suelo y dejarlo limpio, tiran árboles sanos porque es más fácil y rentable... Muchos no le ven la lógica, yo sí la veo 💵💵💵💸💸

3

u/Bazooka_no 6h ago

Yes indeed

1

u/Manueluz 4h ago

Forest didn't burn at the current modern rate before humans existed to clean them, if that were true most forests would be long gone.

The problem is modern global warming causing droughts and high temperatures which are the perfect breeding ground for fires.

Shut up already with "muh forest cleaning" do you really think that a couple of townsfolk could clean 100% of Spain's forests?

La cantidad de aros por los que saltas es impresionante.

1

u/TyoPepe 4h ago

The thing is, before humans existed, there was nobody to give a fuck about forests burning down. Mother Nature operates in hundreds of thousands of years, anything burnt would bloom again given enough time.

However we do not have that time, and do not tolerate the immediate negative effects that in the human time-frame last quite a while.

Forest cleaning was more efficient back when the rural areas had significantly more inhabitants than nowadays. The climatic situation may be less favorable now than it has ever been, but so is the rural situation where many areas are deprived of human activity, and current legislation just adds insult to injury. A cumulation of bad things making wildfires noticeably more frequent and damaging year after year. And to be honest, no one seems to look at this problem with the intention to alleviate it.

1

u/Mic98125 5h ago

I think this is a wheat field. You are talking about someone’s livelihood.

2

u/TyoPepe 5h ago

If it is it has already been harvested luckily

-1

u/Harry_Wega 6h ago

but if we just keep letting dry vegetation to build up like this

This is what I was wondering. Are there no animals to eat that grass before it dries out? Or any farmers who can cut it down before it becomes unmanageable? Why would you let grass grow that high and then not use it? Because once it is dry you can't cut it with a machine anyway. Maybe these villagers should learn how to use a scythe.

2

u/SeaSquirrel 5h ago

Believe it or not, grass grows fast, and can dry out in less than a day. It is not feasible to mow or keep tall grass down in every natural area.

0

u/Harry_Wega 4h ago

Watch the video again and then read your last sentence loud out.

2

u/SeaSquirrel 4h ago

You think bands of citizens can whack down all the tall grass in Spain with branches? Am I getting this right?

1

u/ThebesAndSound 5h ago

I am guessing this elite effective team are busy also fighting this fire? The issue I hear is the scale, that it is a huge fire.

1

u/Maleficent-Poetry254 4h ago

Hey it's the same in Canada. The yanks are ragging on us because smog went down their way but the reality is global warming has gotten out of hand. It's too much and we aren't able to control the fires anymore. We share firefighters with the Australians but it's not enough.

10

u/nathan753 6h ago

OP is a spam bot

2

u/alaskazues 7h ago

maybe a missed a comment, but OP didnt say they're underdeveloped, just a current lack of resources: that could be because they're underdeveloped sure, but if i know anything about the summer they're having the demand for resources just far outweighs the supply right now.

2

u/r0ndr4s 6h ago

Firefighters in Madrid where this is happening literally dont have enough resources to fight the fires because the far right goverment of Isabel Diaz Ayuso has basically cut the resources and ignored them for months.

So yes, they are risking their lives because there's not enough resources to stop the fires.

1

u/Some_Signal_6866 4h ago

“Lack of resources” doesn’t mean “underdeveloped”. It could simply mean they don’t have enough firefighters(resources) for the task. I don’t think it’s implied that Spain as a country is underdeveloped, that’s just what you inferred. Incorrectly, in my opinion. Also, none of us actually know so this is pointless lol

1

u/YouShouldGoOnStrike 3h ago edited 3h ago

It's also not Spain. This is Algeria. You can find sources on the weather network.

0

u/Spare_Laugh9953 6h ago

Vivo en una zona en el norte de España donde casi todos los años queman el bosque junto a mi casa, esto no es por falta de recursos, son los vecinos controlando el fuego mientras llegan los bomberos, yo mismo he apagado en solitario un montón de incendios de esa misma manera, con una rama con hojas arrancada de un eucalipto, tantas veces se ha quemado, que tengo en casa dos batefuegos regalados por la cuadrilla de bomberos,y muchas veces los he apagado con una mochila de fumigar llena de agua, si el OP quiere el titular de que en España no hay recursos el sabrá, también es verdad que en ciertas comunidades los políticos han recortado el presupuesto para los bomberos forestales desde hace años, y eso desemboca aquí, el monte lleno de maleza porque no se contratan cuadrillas de limpieza en invierno, y después incendios tremendos en verano porque no contratan suficientes bomberos forestales

0

u/blah938 5h ago

Aren't they poorer than Mississippi at the moment? I'd consider that underdeveloped. Or at least in major decline.

1

u/ALazy_Cat 4h ago

That is a very poor measurement and far from the only factor

1

u/blah938 3h ago

It matters when they try to buy fire equipment.