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January 30, 2005

Journal of a Fire

If you haven't read the previous entry, please read it before you look at this entry. You need a little preface to everything. Also, since this blogging stuff is new to me and I don't know much about uploading images, I apologize if this entry takes forever to upload. I'm not sure how to reduce the file size, so I just did the best I could. Please forgive me if you have time to roast a turkey while loading this entry.

The date/time function is all screwed up in my camera, so I'm realizing while I'm uploading these files that the date stamp isn't correct for most of the pictures. Sorry 'bout that. Most of the pictures were actually taken early this morning, despite the stamp that claims they were taken on Saturday.

11:32 p.m.--Another firetruck arrives. This is the first photograph I took that was post-able, and it's a shot from my balcony of the flames. Oh, and since my digital camera doesn't capture night action very well, lots of the pictures have reflections from the flashing lights. You can't really see what's going on, but I think the pictures are cool.

11:58 p.m.--Another view from my balcony. The fire doesn't seem to be any smaller.

12:30 a.m.--A firefighter comes through my building and advises everyone that we are still on evacuation alert and not to go to bed until further notice. This is the second time we've been advised; the first firefighter came by around 11:00 p.m. By this point, all I can see is lots of billowing smoke. Maybe the fire is under control?

1:17 a.m.--A huge explosion that rattled my windows and knocked a picture off the wall. I guess some of the windows and balcony doors blew out. Lots of flames shooting up in the air again.

2:00 a.m.--Someone is screaming in the parking lot. My guess is that it is a resident arriving home from a nightclub or something and discovers that her home is being destroyed. Such a haunting sound.

3:46 a.m.--One of the firefighters goes through our apartment again and tells us that we are still on alert because things are still blowing up. I had a lapse in memory before the firefighter rang my bell; I suppose I drifted off to sleep at about 3:00.

3:50 a.m.--Several more explosions in rapid succession and a large crash. Perhaps the roof falling in?

3:59 a.m.--An ambulance arrives and the paramedics unload about 50 tanks of oxygen. I guess they've been fighting the fire so long that they've used the truck supply.

4:21 a.m.--Several more firetrucks arrive. My unconfirmed count is eight; there are four that are parked outside my building and another four sets of lights that I can see flashing closer to the flames.

4:32 a.m.--Several helicopters are now overhead. I don't know if they are official fire helicopters or if they are news helicopters, but they are surrounded by smoke. This shot is of the smoke hiding the helicopter and all you can see is the light shining over the fire.

5:18 a.m.--A shot of some of the firetrucks. I can't see any more flames and the firefighters aren't running frantically any longer, so I guess everything is under control and pretty much over. We're still not out of evacuation notice, though.

6:47 a.m.--Most of the firetrucks are gone now. A firefighter rings my bell and tells me that we are out of evacuation notice. There is still so much commotion, though, that it will be impossible to sleep. There are news trucks everywhere and onlookers still standing around and lots of messages floating through the air on the firemen's radios.

8:39 a.m.--Now that all the firetrucks are gone, I wander down to the scene (along with about a hundred other onlookers) to take a look. I can't get any of the photos of the damage to upload right now, but I will post some later. The building is really messed up. The roof is completely gone, all the windows on the upper floor are blown out and most of the windows on the lower floor are gone as well. Looking through to where the windows were, it appears that the building has been pretty much gutted. Even though it looks like the fire started in the apartment on one end of the building, it looks pretty black and empty all the way through, even on the other end of the building.

Oh, and my hair smells like smoke, even though I took a shower right before I typed this. I guess watching from outside most of the night and having the smoke blow over my apartment didn't help anything.

Whew. It's been a long night. I'm off to bed for a couple of hours before I attack that homework again...

Posted by Anna at January 30, 2005 10:38 AM

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Comments

Posted by: Michael Morgan at January 30, 2005 08:43 PM

Posted by: Anna at January 30, 2005 09:28 PM

Posted by: Christopher at January 30, 2005 10:40 PM

Posted by: Pressed at January 30, 2005 11:05 PM

Posted by: Flip at January 31, 2005 12:48 AM