Sure, sure, I know that's normal. The way it was phrased in the traffic report made it sound like there were six NEW alarms for a fire that was out of control, not that work continued to finish off the one from this morning.

I was back up there today to check upon some of the very nice people I met yesterday whose homes were on fire. Happily the two families I was able to contact suffered very limited damage. One gentleman had 30+ years of collecting art and artifacts in his home. It looked pretty bad for him yesterday. The FD was pumping major amounts of water out his front door. He lost very little of his items. The L&I Inspectors did a great job in relocating his belongings best they could in order to limit damages. I later saw them in a house that was still burning taking family pictures and anything that looked important out of the house in order to save the items. We found out today that the FD was pumping so much water out of his house to help dissipate the smoke in an effort to limit smoke damage that would be caused. I have to give an "atta boy" to the Engine company that did that. Turns out the L&I guys informed them of the man's concerns for his belongings and they went above and beyond to prevent heavy damages. The other family I spoke to mainly had their windows broken to vent the house and protected his electronics equipment that he makes a living repairing. There was another family whose dog was locked in the basement of a house that was engulfed. The FD got word of this and gained quick access to the basement. The pooch was wet and dirty but in good condition....and very friendly. Their biggest regret yesterday was that they could not save the church. They even had the Water dept boost water pressure at the scene since the mains in that area are smaller then most because they are much older.
As upset as folks were about the loss of personal items and the church and some homes, all were just grateful that no one was seriously hurt. They lost the cornerstone of their neighborhood but kept the Faith that they were taught there. That is always great to see at a tragedy like this.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/14946781@N03/

http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/My_Philadelphia/photos

I hope this church rebuilds, the community needs a church.

I second that. Great post.

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"He taught by example that part of respecting another person is taking the time to criticise his or her views."

--Melissa Lane, The Guardian; obituary for philosopher of science Peter Lipton.

Farewell Eddy Arnold...Make the World Go Away...

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