That's a bit of dis-exaggeration. We had a BIG bit of excitement. HUGE fire not two blocks away.
There were three buildings set to be apartments, but they never got finished. Frame and tar-paper sides, and that's about it. Recently, a few weeks ago, a chain link fence was put up, and weeds took over.
A friend and I were chatting on my patio, and I started smelling something, and called it to her attention. She said, electrical. Then she looked up and outside my patio and saw this huge fire-cloud in the night sky. And flames shooting up. At one point it sounded like a bomb went off, but I think it was one of the structures collapsing.
Huge flames, and they were spreading. Looked like, in retrospect, that the front building caught, then the second and then the third. Must have been six to eight fire trucks responding and three ambulances.
Just caught the 10:00 o'clock News. Finally reporting, since this happened around 2100 yesterday, too late to make the Saturday morning paper. And, since it was Friday after candle lighting, I didn't turn on the 10:00 o'clock News, even though I knew there would be reportage. Anyway, tonight's News reported 80 firefighters and 45 minutes to put out the fire.
There's lots of charcoal lying around the parking lot and ashes on the cars. I think we'll be visiting the local vehicle beauty shop.
Lots of flying embers which, thankfully, burned out without damage to nearby structures. I took pictures, and I'll try to post some later on. I still haven't quite figured out how to get pictures from the computer to DD. Or anywhere else, for that matter.
Wouldn't you know, there were all kinds of lookee-loos driving and pedestrians walking from who-know-where to see the fire. I was hoping some drivers would get cited because they weren't getting out of the traffic lane so the fire engines could get by. They were coming from both north and south Fulton Avenue, so I'm guessing as to the number of engines that responded. The News tonight reported 80 firefighters, so I'm guessing eight engines. No, more engines than that; I don't think each one carries ten people.
I was extremely irritated at the number of cars coming on the street. The News tonight reported that the flames could be seen for ten miles. So drivers must have known that all they do would be in the way of the firefighters. I started yelling at drivers. Sure did a lot of good.
Oh, and there's a retirement home, a large one, almost next door to the fire, and some private homes nearby that would have been in danger if the fire department hadn't responded so quickly. There's a station around the corner from me, and they were there first.
There's big pile of charred wood at the site. Some partial window frames sticking up, but mostly just big pieces of black-black, charred pieces that used to be frames for the rooms that never happened.
One the resident families was passing by just as the fire started. The mother doesn't speak very good English, but I think she said they called 911.
I'm suspecting arson. There was a fire engine parked on site all day today.
Welshamethyst, what's you're take on this?: How did the fire get so big so fast? Because the wood was so dry, and there were weeds? Or was there maybe an accelerant to account for the ferocity of the fire?
Well! That's the excitement this old gal can handle for quite a long while.
Bless