Two doors down... (#3 in an indefinite series)

The next fire (after the one I blipped) in the 'garden'/building site two doors down was less photogenic than the first, but this morning we got up to pungent black smoke.

To do something, or not? I opted to go out. But when I came back it was just as bad so I phoned the council's out-of-hours environment service. Turned out that throat-stripping black smoke isn't on the council's out-of-hours action list, so they asked me to phone back on Tuesday. Thanks, council.

I should explain that approaching the perpetrator directly is not sensible so, apart from phoning the fire brigade, which felt over-dramatic, escape was the only option left. But as I went out, guess what! - I discovered someone else had phoned the fire brigade. Two blue-flashing fire engines, one blue-flashing car, nine firefighters and a fire safety officer.

I've had a soft spot for firefighters ever since I sat next to a very senior one at an awards dinner some years ago. As we were chatting about how he kept getting points on his driving licence because he forgot he was driving his own car rather than a fire engine, someone on the other side of the table dropped the menu onto a tea light. Flames. Very senior firefighter looked up briefly then turned back to his conversation with me. Out of the corner of my eye I watched the person opposite wave the menu in the air and the flames get bigger. VSFF did nothing. Finally person opposite dropped the menu on the floor and trod on it. VSFF gave a slight smile and nod across the table. End of incident.

This lot were just as impressive. Friendly, calm and somehow, using words not water, they got the smoke extinguished.

I'm not a uniform enthusiast, but - firefighters!