« Teen Jailed for Bad Reading Tastes | Main | Terrorist Attack on Mexican Consulate in NYC »

26 de Octubre, 2007

Mexican Firefighters Come to the Aid of US

Categorized under Frontera | Tags: borders, Mexicans, Mexico, Wildfires

HERE IS A STORY I am sure you will see trumpeted across all the front pages of the major English-language US news sites, ahem:

TIJUANA, Mexico: About 60 Mexican firefighters crossed the border to help fight the California wildfires — then returned home as a separate blaze roared up on the Mexican side.
About 30 firefighters each from the Mexican cities of Tijuana and Tecate headed north Sunday when the wildfires started in San Diego County, said Capt. Marco Antonio Garambullo, Tecate's Fire Department director. One of the California blazes burned more than 200 buildings just north of Tecate.

The Mexican firefighters returned home on Monday, however, as flames kicked up south of the border as well, Garambullo said.

"If we didn't have so much work, we would be over there helping them," Garambullo said, adding that soldiers had joined the firefighters battling the blaze near Tecate, Mexico, which scorched hills and consumed four cabins of the "Rancho La Puerta," a luxury spa popular with San Diego tourists.

School has been suspended since Monday in Tijuana due to the smoke from the California fires, and the same hot Santa Ana winds that have caused firestorms north of the border threaten areas in Mexico as well.

—Mexican firefighters helping in California return to Mexico to fight blaze

As powerful as this imaginative device called "border" is, it clearly does not stand in the way of tourist dollars, lifting winds, deadly smoke, danger, human beings, or compassion. Should it? Do some regret there wasn't a huge impassable wall between us all?

tip of the sombrero to browneyedgirl

 The Unapologetic Mexican has been known to scribble a few things besides meandering, verbose, self-congratulatory blog posts. However, they are rarely as fun. Finally, let it be known that Nezua first dared bust out this Habanero of Truth at exactly 8:46 AM.  | Top | View blog reactions