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When we had our 5.4 shaker two weeks ago Manuel and Carlos, two members of Clark Perry's crackerjack crew, who were working on the remodling downstairs, dashed outside and were back to work in about three minutes.
On Wednesday, when a house up around the corner and about six houses away caught on fire, the dozen workmen at my house took a half-hour fire-watch break.
That is except for the three who were working at the top of my 45-degree angle hill making repairs on the falling-down fence.
They spotted the billowing black smoke and flames shooting straight up in the air and consuming the garage side of the two-story house.
After they called the fire department, they dashed around the corner to see if they could help.
When I’m writing, which I was doing at the time, I tune out the world and don’t hear much of anything, not even the fire department chopper that was circling overhead.
I won’t bore you with the machinations around weeks of remodeling to my oh-so-old- house, except to say that at any given time there’s a dozen or so workmen around, both inside and outside, to dodge as I move from room to room, or play hopscotch over tools the carpenter leaves on the stairs while he’s building a new railing and banister.
About 8:30 I was sitting at my computer concentrating on finishing up a comment to John Wood, Sr.’s poll in OEN, when Manuel, the construction crew’s main man and expert at doing everything, bounded up the stairs and said, “Mama, [he can’t remember Sandy] your neighbor’s house is on fire.”
Since a lot gets lost in translation, I thought he meant the house next door.
Of course, I had to hopscotch down the stairs and join the crowd of neighboring gawkers.
Have an earthquake of equal magnitude to that fire and walk outside, and you won’t see a soul.
I don’t know what it is about fires, but they are crowd-drawers. Maybe it’s the myths and romance surrounding firefighters, or the shiny red fire engines, or just a fact not to be analyzed, because it just is.
If I think I’ve got problems and a mess to live through while my house is getting much needed repairs and updating, it ain’t nuthin’ to what those neighbors are facing.
The damage their house suffered was bad enough, but it would have been a lot worse had it not been for three guys on a hill who saw it and called the firemen.
