This morning, I opened my curtains, and saw the shed of my neighbour had been burned down. Black wooden beams, and a bit of roofing were left on blackened walls. This shed is maybe 25 meters from my house. The fire alley between my lot and the lot of the backdoor neighbour has been laced with white and red ribbons, keeping people out.
How did I miss this?
It was all intact last Thursday night. Must have happened yesterday, and I was home all day.
Saw my neighbour, asked her if she was alright. They all were. The fire happened last night. She only woke when people banged her windows and made lots and lots of noise. The wind was strong, and blowing away from my and her house, so, we only heard the wind.
That is why I slept through all of it, I think. The fire-brigade came twice last night, and the council, blocking the fire alley, because of collapse danger. And I heard nothing.
A street not far from mine is looking black with soot, and smelling of fire big time. Here you smell nothing.
It could have been different. We've been lucky. Had it been colder, and dryer, with a wind from the north, we would have been in the fire-line, because there is a wooden dog-trimming salon between my house and the burned down shed. So, lots of fuel to bring the fire here.
Now everything was soaking wet, because of the rain and above zero temperatures of the last few days. The wind did make things very sooty for the people on the north east of the shed though.