I'm in the boat with your sister Fannie my Napa store is right next to the fire department...I don't even here them anymore.
They're at it again... about 11:30 last night the sirens started again. Now it's not unusual to hear an ambulance roar through town. Alot of our residents are very mature seniors and we also have a senior's complex so we hear ambulances a few times a week. But what went on last night just send shivers down my back. Sirens were coming from all directs. I'm reading in bed, hubby's really into his snoring. It was so unnerving that I had to interupted his nasal muscial and tell him about the sirens. While I'm telling him we hear more coming. So we get out of bed, go out onto the veranda and we can see a hugh smoke cloud over the downtown( a very loose term). I grabbed my house coat and with mom in tow we walk down the street to see if we can see what was happening. You can do that in a small town, walk town the street in your house coat no one seems to care and it was midnight no ones around anyway. A minivan comes up the street and told us it was the apartment building over the laundromat. So hubby walks back to get the car, he and mom head down to see if that can get a look. I could see enough between the houses and I was in my housecoat. But then I got to thinking, what will they do with all the folks that live in the apartments. Ths last time we(our town) had an event like this they opened the community center and a bunch of ladies went up to make coffee and sandwiches, so I thought I'd better go get dressed to see if I could help. Mom and hubby come back as I'm heading out so they came along as well. When we got down close to the fire I found someone that I knew and we started to ask about the people from the apartments. Turned out all of them had family close by and they had all been collected by them, so we stood down. I'm not sure if the building is a total lose but it sure is a mess. Man I hate to see these old building disappear. It turned out that six different fire departments responded to this fire. So a few pictures... I'not sure why my pics turn out in B&W??? I take them in colour, they upload into my laptop in colour but upload here in B&W???
Between the hurricanes, floods, barns and other things you kids are worrying us old timers! That sure didn't look like a barn to me. Looked like an apartment building. And when did they start building barns next to houses in town? Got some strange farms up there. Me and silverfox remember when they built that barn! Wasn't nuthin around for miles and miles back then. Your town only had 22 people living there and most of them ran around wearing house coats all day.
Fire is a scary thing, and good on you fannie for going to help. I still remenber the fire across the street from us just before last X-Mas. Don't know what i was thinking but barrged in to get Mom and Pop out, they were clearly in shock....there son Jamie cut and jack hammered out my concrete reno a couple weeks ago....
See, pay back time. I remember reading how you made him slave away in your back yard. You have some good neighbors.
I've never been in a fire or a flood. But I'd chose a flood anyday. Fire is very scary. Fanny at least you guys went out to see what was happening and were willing to help if necessary. Not every hero saves a life.
You have that right. Fannie has the mind set that puts her in to "help people" mode when ever something bad happens to them. She's good people is how we call folks like her. But she also lives in a community and an area where this is how they think. They really do care about people, their community, and they have an old time approach to everything. One for all and all for one, in most cases. It is sad to see these old buildings disappearing. The new ones that go in are often so generic, no character, and often look and feel cold and unwelcoming. How sad for those people to lose their homes and some I'm sure will have lost possessions. Once again I suspect Fannie's community will rally around them and make sure they are kept whole. What a great place you livein Fannie. You add a lot to your community. Great B&W pics - they make it seem so old time newsreal'ish.
It's easy to see why our close knit wagon family has chosen Fannie to be our house mother! Not a bigger heart in the crowd.
It looks like the building should be savable. The damage is confined to that one corner, and the rest is likely smoke and water, which is fixable. It looks like it was electrical, and ran up the outside of the wall by the meters for the apartments.
