Kill it with fire? Tree pollen burns away as if by magic in surreal scene in Spanish park

As Spain gradually lifts its coronavirus lockdown, some residents were treated to a rare and mesmerizing spectacle as a vast, pure-white veil that covered a local park just burned away before their very eyes, as if by dark magic.

This was no snow-white tale, however; rather, local authorities were burning off a thick layer of fluff from the fruits of Canadian poplar trees, the pure-white veil that had blanketed the Cidacos de Calahorra park in La Rioja, Spain. 

Given that they are made of fluff, not too dissimilar to dust, and therefore have few calories, they burn rapidly and without much, if any, collateral damage to the surrounding greenery or to the grass beneath. 

The footage sparked quite a reaction on social media, with some suggesting that the spectacle was merely reversed video footage of the White Walkers from HBO’s Game of Thrones. Meanwhile, others wondered if they were to do the same at home would it remove all of the dust without the need to pass the vacuum cleaner around.

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