Bushfire!

I was driving home late the other night along AYE, when I noticed the electronic signboards along the highway read: "BUSHFIRE ON CENTER MEDIAN. PLS DRIVE CAREFULLY" (or something like that).

Zombified as I already was, I couldn't help feeling tickled. Bushfire? In Singapore? HAhaha. Almost immediately, I became alert, sat upright, eyes wide open, looking out for some major bushfire along the highway at 3am in the morning. But not only did I not see any wild dancing flames, as I'd expected to, there wasn't even any 'botak' burnt-up bush in sight. And to be very sure, I even drove back along the same way the next day, eyes fixed on the 'bushes' along the 'center median'. But nope, no burnt bush. Very disappointed, I was.

Then last evening, I was driving home from work, this time along PIE, when suddenly the traffic halted to a slow crawl. Soon after some wrongful cussing and swearing, I realized the traffic on the right lane had slowed down because there were two fire-bikes parked along the 'center median'. And right next to the bikes were two fire-fighters, who, from what I could tell as I drove past, looked like they were putting out a fire out of a watering can. Yes, they were putting out fire on a small little shrub as tall as my knee cap. Yes, another bushfire!

I suppose there's really no other word in Webster that could describe it, but in a small, urbanized city that is the size of Singapore, lacking of mountains, rivers and forests, 'bushfire' is really inaptly termed. How about "shrubfire"? I bet the angmohs must've lost their heads laughing too hard, or they must've had thought, "there goes poor MacRitchie".