Our very own Olympic Cauldron

Courtesy of the recalcitrant youth in our neighbourhood...

This was in full blaze and with the wind that fanned it taking the embers across the lawn, it was quite scary at 1am Sunday morning (taken from our bedroom window the morning after)

The fire started from the top of the tree...

Then burnt down the dry fronds that encased the trunk...

Burnt lawn testament to the ferocity of the blaze.  The Fire Department was called but by the time they arrived, there were only embers to douse.

This pic was taken the day before - I was taking a picture of the new plantings in the front.  See the stakes on the left?  These were nowhere to be found after the fire.  My theory is the youth used them as fiery javelins aimed at the canopy of the palm tree... reminiscent of the Barcelona Olympics lighting of the cauldron...

On a more serious note, we were thankful that the wind carried the embers away from homes.  The gusty wind would've wrecked havoc had any of the homes caught alight.