It could be your SmokeDetector going off in the WeeWee’s ‘O TheNight… A building AlarmActivation – or maybe even a FranticNeighbour BANGING! on your door. This is when CrossStreets are important – Life&Death important.
Know yours. Because, when you ReallyNeed the EmergencyServices and you’re doing the ‘911Dance’ you may be too stressed to blurt out a street number. Knowing your cross street will enable a faster response time. And sometimes, seconds count.
Here’s the thing, DearReaders – Housing Booms&Busts come laden with externalities. UnintendedConsequences. BlowBack. And, not infrequently… BackDraft!
Witness the OhSoMany SadTales ‘O Detonation, Conflagration & Deflagration that have occupied our Metro & Regional HeadLines these past couple’o years. From CoalHarbourYachts to NewBuildCondo’s in Surrey&Richmond to every second restaurant on a certain stretch of Broadway near Main.
Even in the best ‘o times, careless people do stupid things and stressed people do careless things. But… in the worst ‘o times??? Well, financially stressed and/or inherently DishonestPeople do criminal things – and they do them more often.
[Disclaimer: OK, there’s nothing intrinsically funny about “Fire!”. So, please forgive ‘Nem’ for penning a serious piece. And we have no special knowledge of whether crimes should be suspected in these cases. Fortunately, no one perished at the SkyLine or in any of Nem’s subsequent examples ‘o Okanagan ‘SpontaneousCombustion’. Let’s hope it stays that way.]
Our story begins here… Welcome to Vernon’s SkyLine Apartments!
The astute among you will notice the PoliceTape and the charred, skeletal remnants of furnishings strewn about the lawn…
Ah yes. That would be why.
Let’s step back a few months and experience the event’s ‘frisson’, shall we?…
[VernonStar - February 25, 2011 12:06 PM] – “Firefighters remain on scene of a major apartment building fire on Vernon’s Hospital Hill. Flames and smoke engulfed the structure on 31A Street at about 5 a.m. Friday, forcing about 52 people to flee into temperatures that dipped to -17. “As soon as the guys left the department, they could see it,” said Dean Wakefield, fire investigator. Firefighters from Vernon, Okanagan Landing, BX-Swan Lake and Coldstream converged on the scene. “We’re protecting exposures,” said Lawrie Skolrood, Vernon deputy fire chief. Emergency Social Services personnel also responded and tenants were being sheltered in the Vernon Jubilee Hospital cafeteria. A cause for the fire has not yet been determined.”
Damage was extensive.
No part of the SkyLine escaped unscathed, not even the ConcreteCarPark.
Indeed, from one end to the other – the entire expanse ‘o the Skyline’s TopFloor was ‘crisped’.
On the BrightSide though, Vernon’s Jubilee Hospital was certainly close at hand!
On the NotSoBrightSide… At least one SkyLine occupant remains unaccounted for. Rorey.
—
Meanwhile…
…back in Kelowna – another OptimisticDeveloper is putting the FinishingTouches on his ParticleBoard MagnumOpus… or is he?
Actually, that would be a resounding, “No”…
[BCLOCALNEWS: Updated: April 11, 2011 1:42 PM] – “Residents of the Laurentian Heights 3 condominium building at 1405 Kelglen were collecting what personal belongings they could this afternoon after a fire swept through part of the complex at about 4 a.m. Sunday. The Kelowna Fire Department’s initial response included 21 firefighters, four fire engine trucks, two ladder trucks a Rescue truck, and one command unit. Another 45 career and paid on-call staff were recalled to the scene and to also help maintain firefighting crews for other emergencies. Upon their arrival, firefighters were greeted by well involved fire on a balcony of a unit in the southeast corner of the building. It quickly spread into the attic area and throughout the upper part of the building, causing extensive damage to the roof and top floors in the south end of the building.”
Something about those ParticleBoardMansions… Once those flames get going…
They just…
Keep…
Spreading.
And while we’re talkin’, “Spreading” –
“What’s all this doing on MainStreet Osoyoos?”
[OSOYOOS TIMES - May 4, 2011 - By Paul Everest] – “The Osoyoos Times has confirmed that an 18-year-old Osoyoos man arrested in connection to a fire that destroyed two Main Street businesses on May 1 had ties to one of the devastated businesses. Police announced on the evening of May 2 that they had arrested a man late the night before in Osoyoos in connection to the fire. The fire is being treated as suspicious in nature at this time, police added. The Times has learned that the suspect in police custody is Phoenix Lonsdale, a man who the owner of the Osoyoos Christian Ministry thrift store, which was destroyed in the blaze, said had begun playing a piano in the store on a volunteer basis the week before the fire broke out. Lonsdale’s foster mother confirmed to the Times on May 3 that her foster son had been arrested. He is charged with committing arson and appeared in court on May 3 and is scheduled to return to court on May 9.
The fire broke out before 9 a.m. on May 1 and gutted the Osoyoos Christian Ministry church and thrift shop and the Dollar Smart Discount. No one was injured.”
Those Thermoplastic Resins… They don’t like heat.
DryWall & Plaster Lathing doesn’t always fare that well, either.
The Banks always seem to escape unscathed. It’s so unfair!
Photos and commentary for the ‘BlastRadius’ series by ‘Nemesis’.
[Images Ⓒ2011 ‘Nemesis’ – All Rights Reserved]
What’s with all the blue in the sky for the last couple of buildings? I don’t get it, the sky’s supposed to be grey. At least that’s the way it always seems to be here in the BestPlaceOnEarth…
But on the serious side, I love these photo essays, thanks for another entertaining post! I especially liked your bank comment!
In other ‘Oki-conflagration’ news…
[G&M] – Fire causes major damage to Oliver, B.C., high school
“The cause of the fire is not known. The school had been undergoing a $29-million renovation, and while the new gymnasium, science laboratory and cafeteria were saved, the south and east wings were destroyed, as was the cherished and historic auditorium.”
http://tinyurl.com/6zzwqlz
PS – to “M” above. Thank you. Also, the blue skies are a stylistic affectation/homage to Paul Simon re: “Kodachrome” (“makes you think all the world’s a sunny place”…)
Numerous other conflagrations have passed, unremarked by ‘Nem’ (due wholly to time constraints)… today’s OkiConflagration; following, if you’ll pardon the pun, HotOnTheHeels of similar occurrences at other distressed regional enterprises (e.g. WhiteSpot, Earls, assorted ChineseRestaurants, ad infinitum)… occurred, to the consternation of thirsty GangBangers, exhibitionists and ecdysiasts throughout BritishColumbia’s south central interior, at “Slack Alice’s Show Pub”, Penticton.
[PentictonWesternNews] – UPDATE: Fire tears through Penticton nightclub
“Also destroyed in the fire was Bublees liquor store and the Chinese Laundry restaurant. At the time of the fire Slack Alice’s, which had been in business at the location for about 20 years, was closed for renovations and for a possible liquor violation although there was no confirmation of this.”…
http://tinyurl.com/6m8vtcw
Thanks for the update, Nem.
We look forward to further BR postcards when you get the chance.
Spring, perhaps?
You can bank on that, IllustriousEd!…