The Aftermath of the Flames
What was left of the house was actually very little. Smoke was still coming from what used to be the left side as the chimney seemed the only thing left standing. It was an eerie scene at the end of a cul-de-sac of homes that would sell for upwards of $600,000. The trees of Holmes Run lay just behind the charred remains.
Fortunately the house was vacant. The retired dentist who used to live there now lives in a Sunrise assisted living facility.
No one as of yet seems to know the cause of the fire. But it was definitely a big one that burned out of control for most of an hour while firemen battled the blaze.
My friend’s house was literally 100 feet away. I thought about the fear that all the neighbors, especially those on either side of the burning house, must have felt as they watched it be consumed and prepared to evacuate their own houses.
There’s already a dumpster out front in which the blackened contents of the house that burned will be put for disposal.
I wonder where they will put the skeleton of a car that sits in front of the mounds of things burned beyond recognition?
Repair crews work just a little ways up the street to repair a water main break caused by a firetruck last night. It’s a mess, but it’s fixable. The house clearly is not.
posted by Barbara at 11:40 AM
11 Comments:
Looks bad Barbara... a real heartbreak.
Given the house was uninhabited, I'm not sure whose heart was broken, especially if it was insured and the insurance comes through. It would have been a lot worse if the neighboring houses had been affected or the parkland behind the house.
Whose heart? How bout all the people that ever lived there, or the gut that did the stonework, or the plumber whos first job ever was to come unclog the Toilet and stuff like that!
I think things all have a history and a Karma that reaches way out there...just like me!
Bulletholes -- You raise valid points. And even how about all the neighborhood people who have always seen a big beautiful house there instead of a gaping black chimney? I wonder how long it will look so bad? I wonder what sort of karma will come with the house that replaces it? I'm not sure I would want to live there.
I'm glad that it had transitioned from home to house before burning, but what a shame.
Bulletholes, you've totally hit the nail on the head. It was absolutely heartbreaking to have to tear down our 130 year old house after we had a fire. We are trying to build our new house as much in the spirit of the old one as we can - sort of as a tribute to our old house. But we are making it even better, so hopefully some good karma will float in our direction!
I'm glad no one was home to get killed, injured, or even there to watch it burn. It is absolutely horrible having to watch your house burn down when you know there is still a beloved pet inside.
And when you think about how awful it must be for the poor neighbors to have to look at your unsightly house - that just makes the suffering even worse. Ours looked bad for over a year. We couldn't do much about it because of the insurance situation. It was embarrassing for us and I'm sure it must have annoyed the neighbors because we are now having to go to court every six weeks or so because somebody complained about it two years ago.
That last paragraph did not come across the way I meant it to. I did not mean for it to sound so snarky. It is sometimes difficult when you are in the thick of things to realize that other people are affected by it as well. I'm seeing this from a different perspective now.
When I go to see the house I was born in....well....there is a 7-11 there now.
I never expected it to be a National Monument...
It's always sad to see a house burn--the first thing I think is - was it empty? is everyone safe? pets too? then I think of the history the work that goes into it, the pride of ownership feelings we have for our homes, making them better, restoring them.
I knew of a house that went up like a rocket after a floor varnishing.. of course it was considered suspicious, what women would attempt to varnish her own floors? She was suspect for awhile since she has left with her dog ( gossip too) Eventually she got the insurance and was able to rebuild.
Good thing you don't have those strong Santa Anna winds to take out a whole neighborhood on a whim.
Kristin -- I really know so little about the house. Even though it was vacant, perhaps a son or daughter was about to move in with a family. Maybe it was a house waiting to be a home again.
Cyndy -- I'm sure you shudder when you even hear the words "house fire". You know first hand what this devastation means.
Bulletholes -- I'm assuming they tore down your house to put up the 7-11, yes? Was that in Detroit or Texas or somewhere else?
Squirrel -- We were very fortunate not to have any wind the night of the fire. Otherwise the neighborhood and the adjoining park land would have been more seriously threatened.
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