A Picturesque Saturday?

Today in this part of Pennsylvania was gorgeous. Mid 70s, light breeze, big white puffy clouds.. you get the idea. Mr. Clean and I had planned a couple activities involving the great outdoors so we started our day early (for a Saturday anyway).

Our Mommy Mobile (read: minivan) was getting an oil change so all that was standing in our way for a picturesque family Saturday was picking it up. And that beeper. As soon as I paid for my oil change I came out of the Honda dealer to find my kids already transferred to the van and Mr. Clean prepping himself for the inevitable. The beeper had sounded. There are no two words in the English vocabulary that can simultaneously stop a woman's heart while making her hubby's ears perk up and heart jump with excitement like "structure fire".

Off he went to a help fight a fire at a three story warehouse. The building was built in 1881 and had been a flag factory in the past. Now it housed two businesses. The building was a total loss and razed almost immediately after investigators went through. After seeing the pictures, I am glad I don't get to know much in advance (plus hearing that the building contained paint and other combustibles...).

Mr. Clean on the fire escape (right) tearing plywood off the windows (the only reason fire is not coming out of these windows is that the interior windows were blocked by steel and drywall that the fire fighters had to try and remove after the plywood).


This is a historical town not far from us. Quite a few companies were called in to deal with this.

See those blocked off windows? All that fire and water collapsed the second floor, the roof and then the water came gushing out the front door.


Mr. Clean pulling a ladder off the truck (center). Can you imagine carrying all that gear he has on up that ladder? I must say, "First Responders" are amazing people.