Every spring sees hundreds, if not thousands, of wildfires – around 750 fires were recorded last year, twice as many as the year before, and recording over 100 in a single day happens more than once in a blue moon. This (non)tradition was brought to the country during the Soviet occupation, still practised by passionate arsonists and fuelled by the wind, often tragically resulting in the destruction of entire homes, forests, and the loss of human and animal life. The reasons for Latvians wanting to set the grass on fire vary, with some perpetrators admitting laziness in clearing their fields of the grass in autumn, while others may simply have pyromaniacal tendencies. Fines for arsonists caught in the act go as high as €700. However, the damage done to birds, insects, and plant life, due to the annual burning of thousands of hectares of fields, remains immeasurable.