First Fire (For Real)!

The call came in at 11:48pm...structure fire on N. Manheim. As I headed to the car, I tried to remember just where that is, and realized that it's right off Main, across the street from SUNY. I drove right to the scene. I had a feeling this wasn't just a false alarm, and that was confirmed when I realized that all of our trucks were at the scene.

The building housed a sorority. The fire seems to have started in a 2nd-floor ceiling fan, and luckily it didn't spread too quickly. No one was hurt, and I don't think there was much damage to the personal property of the women in the house. None of the firefighters were hurt, either, tho some of the people who went into the smoky house needed some water to slake their thirst: The chief estimated that the temperature near the fire and smoke was about 400-500 degrees!

Interesting note: Just before we left, the firefighters used a thermal imaging camera to check for hotspots, and my partner found one. We opened a small hole in the ceiling of one of the rooms, and to our surprise, there was a bird's nest inside, along with a dead bird. When she came by to collect some of her things, the woman occupying that room told us that she had heard bird noises for a long time and that the bird's name was Bob. I guess that would be Shishka Bob now.

We were back at the firehouse by 2:45 am, and after a little cleanup, we left about a half hour later; I was home by 3:20. My clothes are a little whiffy but not too bad.