The Lost (Fire) Posts, No. 1: November barn blaze

This barn fire last November was a only few miles from home, in the wee hours of a Wednesday morning. I'd put the paper to bed and come home late Tuesday night. Darla and I talked and caught up and hit the sack. I was having trouble sleeping, and nearby fire crews were out on a few non-exciting calls.

When they toned this, it was one of those calls where I knew immediately that it was real. Almost immediately, as I got ready, responders confirmed it was a working fire and requested additional resources. It was cold and rainy, so dressed accordingly.

On my drive to the scene, I pulled over and let an engine pass, and the glow in the sky drew us in like moths. The barn was down a narrow lane and I parked across a slight ditch, leaving room for fire rigs to get by.

When I arrived, the frame of the barn was still standing, but it quickly collapsed due to the heavy fire. That's when I snapped this over-exposed photo of a policeman running to escape the tremendous heat generated by the collapse.

The barn, which had survived Sheridan's burning of the Valley in the Civil War, was of course a total loss. The farmer lost thousands of dollars of hay, along with some livestock. No cause has been given, as yet.

The top photo was later in the incident, and you can see how soaked the firefighters gear is. You can also see, if you look closely, the streaks of pouring rain falling rather sideways. When I wasn't actively shooting photos and when firefighters weren't actively keeping the blaze from spreading to the several buildings nearby, we took shelter beside the fire engines on the downwind side.

Even though I wore a raincoat, I was soaked to the skin, and when I left the warmth of the fireside to walk about a quarter-mile back to the car, I got really, really chilly. Then to leave, I had to back down the lane in the cold darkness.

I got home and started to peel my wet clothes off and make some hot chocolate when many of the same fire companies were toned for another structure fire, this time in an occupied apartment building in another town. I put on dry clothes and responded, enjoying the company of many of the same officials at this call, which ended up being very minor. It could have turned serious if it hadn't been reported so soon.

By that time, the night was nearly over, so I stopped and picked up breakfast for Darla and myself. She was up feeding Gabe when I got home. When she finished, we ate together, then I cuddled with Gabe as she got ready for work.

Finally, I slept.

Posted by JRC at March 15, 2007 06:12 PM | TrackBack