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2.2.6 Strategies for avoiding and extinguishing wildfires

Many of the people interviewed said that they were taught while they were young to be very careful with fire in the bush. People were taught to make campfires in special fire places, or to find places for fires on the sand and gravel. They were also taught to extinguish the fire very carefully, dousing the coals and ashes with water or sand.

A woman from Klyuchi (Kamchatka) summarised this, �One must put the fire out. You should clear the place of grass to make a fire. You should make a fire on an open place or on the river bank�.

A Komi woman from Palana (NAO) told about one time she encountered a wild fire: �My husband told us to make an opposite fire to stop that fire and our territory (place of fishing) will not be burnt out. We made the opposite fire as my husband advised, and the fire�s moving has stopped. Maybe this example will be useful. In such a way you can protect yourselves from the fire�.

An Even man from Esso (Kamchatka) also described how he stopped a forest fire by setting a �counter fire� to burn the fuel in the pathway of the fire and thus stop it from spreading further.