Fires and Father's Day

Stardate 5957.78

Well Father's Day was on Sunday, but Saturday was the big day for me. We have really wanted to do some stuff in our yard, and a good start is a fire pit. We went down to the Co-op and bought blocks, grates and more to build one, and after a few beers, I had completed the pit!

Nice and easy interlocking blocks and a bed of sand for drainage when it rains is all it took. The digging wasn't too bad, though I spent some time removing a massive concrete post base for an old laundry hanger. Seems the people that used to own the house filled a 3 foot hole with cobbles and poured in the cement. So the base was really quite large.

Once everything was done, it was time for a fire. Of course, at this point, the beer was flowing, food was cooking and times were good. Little did we know, but an arsonist (likely kids smoking) had lit up an old warehouse only a block from our house. We saw the smoke in our back yard, and I grabbed the camera and sprinted down the street to see what was going on.

I arrived just before they started working on the fire. The corner of the old eyesore warehouse (pretty much abandoned) was an office and that is where the fire started. The flatbed trailer closest only had pipe on it, but the one in the background had some rather expensive looking construction equipment.

The boys got busy once they were all there. You can see the wall starting to buckle outwards from the heat. Smoke was pouring out of all the other half ruined doors along the building, making for quite a spectacle.

Water works well, and thankfully, we have some around just for occasions like this. The boys worked quickly, and thankfully, nobody was hurt in the blaze.

I was half expecting to see firemen bashing doors in with axes, and rescuing people and stuff, but no such luck. In a way, it is too bad the place didn't get razed. There were a coupld more of the old warehouses and they have already been demolished. They are ugly and dangerous. I suppose, once the investigation is over, it could be torn down.