- Kate Morley
- Jul 20
- 3 min read
The fire burns around you,
Licking at the tarmac.
The tyres turn- they do not burn,
But the fire reaches in.
To go forward or back,
The fire lures you on.
The fire teaches you that you are a mother.
Gotta get back.
The fire burns behind you,
The smoke in the mirror.
This is Devon, the green and lushness gone,
The summer of dry has parched the land.
The fire takes hold of precious gold,
Wildflowers or 'weeds', the fire 'values' it all.
The ground lies blackened by choices of the human hand,
Cigarette butt flicked, easy barbecues lit, signatures on policies written in invisible ink.
The fire burns inside of you,
Society's expectations and scrutiny pen you in, or spur you on.
The chemical messengers rage in your veins,
Driving a monthly cycle that fans the flames, as the remnants smoulder.
As the fire feels as though it's been extinguished,
The 'burnout' of a lifetime lived in this body, being held, being fought, where physiology becomes tinder dry.
The embers flicker; is it out or still alight?
The future fire has potential, but today I will not fight or fuel it.
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This piece was inspired by a series of creative writing sessions that were led by Dr Tanvir Bush and supported by Dr Sarah Bell of the Sensing Climate project. The series was called ‘The Elementals’, with each session guided by an elemental theme; Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Spirit.
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Last week I was driving on the A38 back to pick up my daughter when I saw black smoke in the distance; as I continued to drive, I could see the flames ten feet high in the central reservation on my right, and the verge on my left was also alight. I was driving through a wall of flames. Should I stop or should I keep going? As the blue lights arrived on the other side of the road, I kept accelerating. This visceral immersion in flames was a surprise encounter in Devon, where we have switched from one of the wettest winters to one of the hottest summers.
Wildfires are becoming more common, and the impact on human health is now well documented. Disabled activists have written about how they are the 'canaries in the coal mines' and have the expertise to share when living on the edge of fire zones, such as breathing assistance, tools for keeping cool, and mutual care networks for evacuation. More needs to be done to integrate this expertise into climate change action plans in the UK, and the Sensing Climate project is working to bring this expertise to the forefront.
Here at Rewilding Hill Crest, we are aware of the impact of fire on the variety of species that we live alongside. We have a site-wide ban on disposable barbecues. Wildfires have also featured heavily in my PhD case study area in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, with some of my interview participants describing the impact of smoke on long-standing health conditions. Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) battled a record-breaking 900 grassland, woodland and crop fires in 2025. Whilst organisations provide advice on vegetation management next to homes to reduce 'the fire load', especially for homes next to urban heaths, for some residents this is something they do not have the physical energy to do. The impact on wildlife in this area is also considerable, with the Dorset Heaths Partnership, which also includes the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, trained to conduct rescue missions for species trapped by wildfires. The disturbing video of a roe deer bouncing across the scorched earth was shared by firefighters on social media after a deliberately started fire on Holt Heath in Dorset.
Learning to live alongside the risk of wildfires will require increased funding for Fire and Rescue Services that are becoming increasingly stretched and decisions around changing people's behaviour, which might involve measures such as banning disposable barbecues, as Mid-Dorset and North Poole's MP Vikki Slade has petitioned for in Parliament. Bold collective action is critical if we are to adapt to living alongside fire in these rapidly changing times.
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