Fire in the Neigborhood

Usually it's the desk calling to let me know that there's a fire for me to roll to.



This time, however, it was my 12 year old step son (the one who wants to grow up and be a TV Photog too) who made the announcement.



He saw the heavy black smoke across the woods and came running in the house, out of breath and trying to spit out the pertinent information. I ran to get a look and I knew I'd better drive first and ask questions later..



The smoke was billowing black before I arrived so I knew the fire department hadn't had time to put much water on it yet. What I didn't know was what was on fire.



I arrived to the scene in just 4 minutes. The fire was closer to my house than the roads I had to use to get there but the flames were at their peak when I arrived.



Another Photojournalist from my station arrived at the same time I did. Joe Avery had just finished his shift and saw the same smoke I did on his way to his house.



Since he was still in work mode I let him take the lead, but I popped off these pix for his posterity and because it was a helluva fire.



Preliminary reports are that it's an unnoccupied dwelling and by the looks of it, quite old as well. The tax value on the house and the 6 acres it sits on is listed by Randolph County as only 99-thousand dollars.