Fire

As I was just entering into the sound sleep stage I turned over and realized that my window was flashing with red lights. I had my headphone in and was being lulled to sleep by John Piper so I didn't really notice all of the noise. We live down the street from a fire hall so I barely even notice the sirens anymore. As I woke up and took the headphones out I realized that the sirens were still going and the lights were not leaving.

It was about 1:00 AM and I looked out the window to find 2-3 firetrucks parked outside of my house and firefighters scattered around. I didn't smell smoke or sense any heat/fire in our house and so I quickly went to another room to start looking out windows on the other side of the house.

Two of my roommates woke up as well and we watched in awe and dread as our neighbor's house lit up with flames. It was two houses over, but the house in between is short and we were on the second floor so we could see quite a bit. The flames started in the garage and by the time I got over to the window they could be seen over the roof of the short house.

More trucks came. Ambulances came. They were surrounding our house and in our driveway. Police cars were blocking the road in both directions. The water hoses came out. The ladders were being assembled. The ladder with a bucket was used to get two firefighters over the house so they could pour water from above. There was one person who looked like they were trying to go back into the house in the very beginning and after several minutes a man ran out of the house and across the street in his underwear. From what we know, no one was injured and everyone got out fine.

Smoke poured out as they sprayed it strategically with water. The flames continued to die down and then grow. At one point I could see the flames coming out of a few places between shingles until the roof was burnt through.

I went to bed at 2:00 but from was I heard (a friend of my roommates was a firefighter on site) they were out there until 7:00 AM. It did snow last night and we got about 1/2-1 inch.

One of the firefighters was hurt while trying to get a ladder from the truck to the house. They were sitting on the ground for a while after we heard the crash and then the EMT's came to get her onto a stretcher.

Apparently, today the news declared that this fire had been set intentionally and that it was a case of arson. There were three other car fires in the area last night as well and they are wondering if there is any connection.

A friend that I knew in high school, who played sports with me, died in a house fire this past fall. As I watched the house next to us burn my heart broke yet again for her family's loss.

To lose everything...to lose a loved one within a matter of minutes...hours.
It's just so hard to imagine.

And for someone to intentionally start the fire...even harder to imagine.