Fire season - this was a close one

The view from my tractor while grading at about 12 noon today.

Often first notices these fires simply because the sunlight is altered by the huge columns of smoke they put up in the air. It gets a little darker and the world around you takes on this orange hue. So it was today...

I was closing the drainage trenches we had made to dewater the lands since they were now dry and their job had been most effectively done. The direction I was grading in meant that my back was towards the direction the fire was in. It was the orange hue that made me look around.

The hill covered in trees behind the tall trees is about 2 km away. On the top of the ridge is a complex of houses, the wind was picking up and it was looking very threatening at the time I took the pictures.

They must have had a very effective fire break and fire fighting equipment because about 15 minutes later they had managed to put the fire out and the houses were spared.