January 2rd and 3rd still Fire Fighting

Yesterday was a successful day fire fighting.  The men got a good sized fringe out right the way up the side of the fire nearest to the house.  Although the fire is unable to reach the house I can walk out to the nearest point of it in 10 minutes.  Yesterday I walked up and down the area that is extinguished looking for hot spots and digging them out.  I guess I dug out about 20 small areas that would have broke out again.

Bungy, Christopher & Shaun

Christopher and Shaun

Today our volunteer fire fighters had to go back to Stanley to their jobs.  Jock and Bungy left on FIGAS, they have been fantastic, working from 6:30am to 8:00pm each day. They have been replaced with 2 full time fire fighters, Jed and Jeffrey, they arrived on the plane that Bungy and Jock flew out on.  This afternoon Christopher, Shaun and Tanya are away in Theo to get more petrol for the pumps from Speedwell.  Christopher wanted to get up at stupid o'clock to go and get it but Shaun thought he was too tired and decided they should both go then one could take the boat up and the other bring it back.  They could then both grab an extra hour and a half sleep.  They left at 4:30pm and hope to be back by 8:00pm.  Jed and Jeffrey have continued fire fighting by themselves.  I haven't been out today.  I was so tired I couldn't stir myself to walk out.  The area they are working in now is very deep and rather then just a fringe the whole area needs to be put out otherwise it will just reignite as it burrows in through the peat.  It is a great shame because there is no doubt that most of the areas that have been burnt out will now blow away.  In some areas it was only approx. 6 inches down to the rock and it has burnt right down to it. In the autumn we will try rolling and re-seeding the area but we are not hopeful that we will get any vegetation back.  Some of the fringe has been put out with salt water so that will not help the cause.  It is a case of sacrifice some to save the rest.
Christopher rescued another three penguins today, two on them had singed feathers but they seemed okay.