Fire
I drove through Youngstown on my way home this evening, and discovered a massive, billowing, black cloud of smoke towering over downtown.
I saw it first from the highway and managed to miss my exit. Do you know why I missed my exit? I was taking pictures. Aren’t our mothers supposed to teach us not to take pictures while driving on the highway?
I grabbed the next exit and headed back towards the carnage, clicking photos the whole way. Most of them I couldn’t see, but I got a lot of them and some of them might even tell us what was on fire. If you have an idea, please let me know.
Take a look at the photostream here – just click ‘Next’ until there ain’t no more black smoky pictures to look at. I even dredged up a nice narrative. So read those captions, Faithful Visitors.
I searched the local news sites and Google News and I have found just about nothing. The two fires I did find don’t seem to have anything to do with what I was seeing. I don’t really know of any Youngstown bloggers who are interested in (or capable of?) covering this sort of thing, so I am casting about for information. If you know anything, please comment!
I will post more when I know more.
As an addendum to the photostream, I did try to take more pictures, but I was (no. 1) trying to avoid being a nuisance at the scene of a disaster and (no. 2) afraid, as ever, of getting in trouble. I’d make an awful action news reporter!
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First Question where was the fire? Second Question What was burning?
Comment by James — 5/22/2005 @ 9:21 pm
Those are the questions I was asking you! Are you like me and don’t read instructions before exams? :-D
Comment by worldmegan — 5/23/2005 @ 11:54 am
Moths to a Flame
I drove through Youngstown again today on my way from Austintown to Warren and found myself drawn again out of curiosity to the site of yesterday’s fire. My father mentioned earlier today that it had been the Youngstown Mattress Company, and he’d he…
Trackback by worldmegan — 5/23/2005 @ 7:04 pm
Good day. I read your blog and the fire you took photos of was the Youngstown Mattress Company Arts Center. It was a renovated Mattress Maufacturing building converted to studio apartments and small shops. I am facinated with fire photography and in the daily life of firefighters. I created http://www.youngstownfire.com to share my interest with others and to honor the men and women who fight the battles you were so drawn to.
The second fire you linked to was a trailer fire in Youngstown, Florida. WJHG is their local NBC affiliate.
There was a second vacant house fire on the South Side while the Yo Mattress Comapny Arts Center was burning.
Peace.
Greg
Comment by yfdgricker — 6/1/2005 @ 10:30 am
The third fire you linked to on firehouse.com was a photo story I submitted on the 520 Garfield structure fire. It was a different day entirely :)
I loved your photos! They capture exactly what I saw as I was on my way to photograph the fire. You caught the fire early on. Here is some information you can add, the fire was at the Youngstown Mattress Arts Center at 40 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (You can see more pictures in the Youngstown Fire Department in Action galleries at http://www.youngstownfire.com/galleryyfdia/). The building was 105 years old. In photo 15175954_618ce086ac_o.jpg, the red and brick building with the flag is the main Youngstown Fire Station. Let me know what other questions you have about the fire and I’ll try and answer them :)
Peace.
Greg
Comment by yfdgricker — 6/1/2005 @ 11:01 am
Wow, Greg, thanks for the info! I’m gonna go draft another post, and take a look at your site! :}
Comment by worldmegan — 6/1/2005 @ 11:12 am
The Youngstown Mattress Company
I sort of dropped the ball on this one, but I’m going to pick it back up. I went back a week or two ago to get pictures of the poor, gutted Mattress Co. It was so sad. I had heard that it was an Arts effort and even not knowing anything about it, t…
Trackback by worldmegan — 6/1/2005 @ 12:01 pm
Youngstown Fire Extravaganza
The following is a clip Greg Ricker posted from the Vindicator:
Fire Ruled Accidental
From the Youngstown Vindicator on 6/4/2005.
YOUNGSTOWN — The fire that destroyed a 105-year-old downtown building nearly two weeks ago has been ruled acciden…
Trackback by worldmegan — 6/8/2005 @ 10:07 am