Wildfire

So this is what I saw when I stepped out of the classroom at recess yesterday:

Qoriorko, the golden mountain, was on fire. It sounds like someone was brining their field (normal thing this time of year) and the wind snatched the fire away from them. 

The fire burned all day sending up a huge cloud of smoke that covered the valley. In the evening when I went to Secsencaya with Alfredo to do catechism class there were bits of ash falling onto our soccer game. Secsencaya is at the foot of Qoriorko. 

The people of Secsencaya had an emergency meeting and were climbing the mountain with water as we were leaving at 7:30. There were able to put out the fires nearest their community. But the mountains burned all night and is still smoldering today. 

Today at recess the view showed us not a golden mountain, but llanaorko - the black mountain. 

So much destruction from one moment of foolishness. Another teacher told me that a woman and her child died in the fire yesterday, and the kids were laming about a man who also died. The burnt mountain stand over the valley today as a grim testament to the dangers of not paying attention.