It was about a week ago, at 3 am (yes, I was still up reading) that I heard a loud, crackling sound. Since I don't like unidentifiable sounds at 3 am, I looked out of the window to find the source. On the street some 20 metres away that I can see from my balcony, stood a parking trailer - uninhabited, you can't live in them outside specific areas - and flames were busy licking on the outside of the front.
I called the firefighters. During the five minutes between the call and their arrival the flames broke through a window into the inside, and a gas tank exploded. Within seconds the trailer was on fire all over. I've never before been so close to a fire, and I was amazed how loud it is. Sounds like a storm. And it spreads so bloody fast. I don't want to imagine how it must feel to live in areas where woodfires are frequent.
I took some pics the moment the flames were at its highest, as the firefighters had already arrived but not yet succeeded in extinguishing the inferno. It took several minutes for that to happen, and there were still minor fires inside the trailer left then.
Since I thought it was very strange that the fire started outside, from the ground upward, I went down and told them I suspected the trailer hadn't started to burn by itself. So they took it to the police for further investigation. A police officer visited me the next day to take an official protocol.
This is your plot bunny to write mysteries. *evil grin*
ReplyDeleteI don't have a cookie for that...
Get pictures. They have any idea what started the blaze?
ReplyDelete"get" = "Great"
ReplyDeleteSorry about that...
No Constance, mystery is totally not my genre (as writer; I read it occasionally).
ReplyDeleteHi library rat,
thanks for visiting. I don't know if the police figured anything out, they usually don't tell people (except probably the owner and the insurance), but fires outside a trailer don't start by themselves. We have those containers where paper is collected, and they get set on fire frequently, in most cases by drunk youths. Something along those lines, I suppose.
That is so scary.
ReplyDeleteYep, it's scary. It's also strangely fascinating.
ReplyDeleteIs it a bad thing I sorta understand Nero now? :)
That looks terrifying. Am I right in thinking nobody was hurt?
ReplyDeleteCarla,
ReplyDeletenobody was hurt. The trailer was empty and the fire not so big as to pose a danger for trained firefighters.
I had the feeling might not be a "natural" fire. At least you were there to see it near the beginning. My wife and I once came home to find firetrucks blocking the driveway as a building on the corner was on fire. And again when the mill complex a block or so away was torched. 8 different fire companies came to that one, including my uncle's unit, which is a good 20 miles away. I did get to spend most of that night on the pumper truck with him, except when I ran out to get his guys donuts and coffee at 1am.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you don't make merry as your city burns...
ReplyDeleteThat's got to be unnerving, happening near your home. We get massive grass fires here which makes it hard to breathe. Nothing this bad in the neighborhood though.
Well, Nero had a few screws loose in his head to use Rome Burning as background for an opera instead of organising an attempt to stop the fires from spreading, but watching a fire ... it's difficult not to look. It's so alive and powerful. And dangerous.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm not happy with the idea that there may be an arsonist on the loose. Hopefully it was only some drunk kid who thought a trailer should be more fun than the paper container, and then ran away.
Well done, Gabriele!
ReplyDeleteYes, fire is like a living thing.
That must have been scary, having a fire so close to your home. I really hope it wasn't an arsonist who decides to come back to the area!
ReplyDeleteBernita,
ReplyDeletethere's an interesting cultural amibguity in fire, I've realised. For many centuries, it was the only source of warmth, but it also was a constant danger.
I prefer central heating. :)
Alianore,
I hope so, too.
Fire is incredibly loud, and mesmerizing. Great photos.
ReplyDelete