Nearby Fire

Occasionally you'll see stories about local homes or businesses burning down on the news. I don't usually think much about it after the story ends. But it's a bit of a different animal when it happens nearby.

As I was out jogging around the neighborhood behind my condo complex a week or two ago, I passed the house you see above. I'd gone past that place any number of times before and it looked fine, but obviously a fire had gotten out of control there. Fortunately no other homes appeared to have been affected, and no one was injured.

It wasn't just the house, but also a car that had been parked in the attached garage (removed by the time I took this picture). I don't know exactly what happened, but it wouldn't surprise me if the garage caught first, since the worst of the damage is on the driveway side of the house. I poked around the Internet a bit and found this story about the fire, which says basically the same thing. (Some pictures of the actual fire at that link, too.)

A disaster like this happening nearby sure makes you think about fire safety. Keeping garages and kitchens clean, not over-using power outlets, keeping the fire alarm batteries fresh...mundane things, but important. And it's a good reminder to appreciate the firefighters who are constantly ready to respond when the worst does happen!