So this morning I got moving into work a little earlier than usual. On the way in, I noticed a small difference in the skyline, but nothing to make me think twice. When I rolled up to the building, the local traffic update on NPR came up and recommended different routes of travel to IUPUI / the canal area thanks to a fire.
I looked up and sure enough, there was that fire. The difference that I kind of noticed on the way in was the large plume of smoke that didn’t really catch on because it was still pretty dark. The only think I can think of was that I thought it was just exhaust from the power plant…
But anyway, I went up to the office and grabbed my camera, another lens, and my tripod before beginning the walk down.
I was not dressed for the cold.
It was a 3-Alarm fire in an apartment building that was under construction… Yeah… It sounds like there the possibility of fishiness, but who knows just yet.
I saw at least three ladder trucks and another 6+ fire trucks. Lots of EMS… I could walk right up to the fire trucks, but not within 200 yards of the actual fire.
On the long, cold walk back I got to thinking about it. Are fires like this a little bit of an economic stimulus in themselves? Sure, the insurance companies have to pay out… But it keeps attention and funding to emergency services… Demo / cleaning crews… Repair crews… Construction crews… All faster than a shovel ready project looking for stimulus money.
Of course I’m not advocating arson, because last thing I’d do is advocate setting fires to stimulate the economy and stick it to the insurance companies… It’s just sad that my mind takes that kind of track these days.