A few years ago a factory in the industrial estate across the road burned down.
It was part of a complex of six units all butted up next to each other. They varied from a fruiterer, to a ducting engineer to a small but thriving recording studio. The potential for damage and job loss was immense.
We were evacuated from the house and the kids were put up by kindly neighbours in the street behind ours. Gill was stranded as they shut off all the roads but we kept in touch by phone.
News of gas cylinders in one of the units soon filtered through to us as all but the fire brigade were allowed close.
The flames were immense shooting twenty and more feet in the air.
Click to view slideshow.The unit which was on fire was the furthest from our street but the chaos was visible from my standpoint in the street.
Eventually the brigade got the flames under control and we were back in our houses watching the owners of the units going in to look for damage.
What struck me about the whole thing was the polar opposites of human nature that it revealed.
On the one hand were the two little scumbags who climbed up and set fire to to the roof. They had no concern for the financial damage and loss of employment they were causing.
On the other hand were the local folk who rallied round to offer shelter and cups of tea to those of us exiled from our homes.
One was a community firebrand who, note pad in hand, took quotes from the police, asked snippy questions and generally held the services to account.
Some people are profoundly stupid and ignorant and maybe even evil.
Others are not.
This post was inspired by WP Daily Prompt which was the word Burn
