A small fire had started in rough grass at the top of the cliff, probably caused by a discarded cigarette end. We decided to raise the alarm but both of us had left our phones at home, and no one else was in sight. Nearby was a square red sign saying FIRE, and beneath the sign, fixed to the same vertical post, a round red box about the size of a cake tin with a small knob attached to the lid. Faded lettering said ’In case of fire turn handle’, with a curved arrow showing a clockwise direction. It looked like something made by a child.
Assuming this was some sort of rotary alarm I turned the handle as instructed. Instead of the loud, siren-like noise I expected, the box emitted only a faint wail, inaudible to anyone more than a few metres away. I cranked harder, hoping to increase the volume, but the knob came off in my hand and the machine wheezed to a halt. The fire meanwhile had spread and was now engulfing a nearby gorse bush.
Simon Collings
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