Cane Field Burning

Idly browsing Facebook prior to dinner, Robert spotted a post that a local sugar cane farmer in Freshwater was going to burn one of his fields within the hour. Immediately we dropped everything and raced down to the site where cars were already lining up beside the field.

There was a party atmosphere as we watched a farmhand walk round the edge of the field setting light to the sugarcane. 

Burning like this is intended to burn off the thick outer leaves of the cane to make it easier for harvesting in the next couple of days.  Soon, the field was encircled by flames fanned by a light wind. 

As darkness fell, the sky lit up with leaping flames, ashes stung the eyes, and kids and adults enjoyed a good old bonfire festivity without all the snowflake, PC, Health and Safety obsession you'll see elsewhere. What fun, some spectators climbed on top of their utes; others moved quickly to give respect to the dancing flames which hissed and crackled; leaping with great whooshes into the sky. There was even a brief twister formed by the heat. 

The whole scene was thick with smoke penetrated by car headlights and the glow of mobile phones. 

Amazingly, next day, far from being totally consumed, the sugar cane had only lost the dry outer leaves and stood green as ever with neat blackened lines running through the crops along the ground.