Fire

The peace of the afternoon was shattered by the sound of sirens and then the din of diesel engines idling. I went to investigate and found the street full of fire engines. I counted six appliances, including two turntable engines, and a couple of the Ford Explorers the fire captains use.

A fire had broken out at Leon's house, a neighbour who lives about 50 yards along the street. It is a single-storey residence in the region of 2,000 sq ft. Apparently a fire had broken out in the loft.

The response by Jacksonville Fire & Rescue struck me as being a little excessive and more suited to a fire at the Bank of America Tower downtown. I guess the firemen were bored this afternoon.

It was also interesting to note that the fire engines were not from Fire Station No 10, which is about a quarter of a mile away and which has featured in one or two of my blips. I guess they were out on another call and so Fire Station No 4 stepped into the breach.

With the all the excitement, I realized that I had my blip for today. The firemen about to enter the house was the best shot of the bunch. I fear I am losing the knack of capturing news events, although in my defence, it is at least 23 years since I last wielded a camera on a news assignment.

I hope Leon has insurance. I doubt a house blaze was quite what he had in mind to celebrate Christmas.

To all my subscribers and those who happen to drop in every now and then, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope tomorrow lives up to its expectations.

B&W conversion with Silver Efex Pro in Photoshop CS3.