Thanks again for the support and comments
Day 46: Well, i'm going to copy and paste a 'story' from another thread, I wanted it to be in my 365, but thought it deserves its own thread too.
I'm out of a job at the moment, and my old man asked if I could give him a hand with a job he is working on. (General Builder).
Before I went into the building I spoke to a neighbour there. It's an insurance job, (re-fit ceilings, floors and everything in the building).
I spoke to the neighbour, and he started talking to me about the chap who previously lived in the house. He said he was born in the house in the 1930's, and lived with his parents up to the age of 30 where he moved closer to a Welsh town (Caenarfon) He moved back 5 years later to look after his ill mother. He stayed in the house untill three months ago.
I don't know the neighbours name, but i'll call him Bill. Bill told me that on 1st May this year, he had a knock on the door at 2am, it was his neighbour the other side of him, shouting and screaming that the middle terrace house is on fire. Bill had a house key for the house which was glowing orange, within seconds he had the front door open, shouting at the other neighbour to call 999. The fire was in the lounge where the front door was, it was far too strong to enter and he explained to me that he couldn't breathe because of the sheer heat, the smoke didn't bother him. He quickly ran round the back door, after three attempts at kicking it in, he smashed the kitchen window and crawled through it. Within seconds he was coughing his guts out, and losing vision. He was shouting for Peter, failing to get a response, he was looking through the door from the kitchen that connected the lounge, and Peter was nowhere to be seen, he put his dressing gown over his head and ran through the flames to the stairwell, and up the staires which were on fire at the bottom. He burnt his hands severl times on the hand rail, trying to find his best friend and neighbour. He found him on the landing with his feet on fire (small flames), and semi naked due to the fire burning him he dragged him to the bathroom at the back of the house, which was the only room without flames or too much smoke. After getting no response from Peter, Bill started to think ahead on how he'd get out, and get peter to an ambulance or hospital.
The neighbour from the other side of Bill shouted from the back of the hosue "They're on their way!" They turned the hose on and started to water down the flames which were now in the kitchen. After what Bill described as a lifetime the fire brigade and ambulance came around 15 minutes after calling them. The paramedics were unable to get to the pair in the bathroom, untill partial flames had been put out. After another 5 minutes the paramedics took the pair to the hospital. Peter regained consciousness in the ambulance, but died two days later.
With a tear in his eye, bill was telling me about the worst time of his life, and after all of the memories he's had, including his wedding, his childeren being born, and graduating university, they now mean nothing. As Peter's death was constantly on his mind. Bill said how he sat in his lounge for days thinking of ways he could of saved his life.
I just thought i'd share the story which I recieved upon arrival. All the posessions had already been taken away by family and whoever dealt with the house.
There was however a railway set upstaires, which ran around the whole diameter of the house! Holes in the walls for tunnels and it ran from the stairs, to bedroom one, through to bedroom two, the study, bathroom and back to the staires! You could see the flames all over the walls, and burnt various items. I felt quite bad dismantling it all and chucking it in the back of a van to take the the tip. I found a few things which was leftover inthe hosue. Peter's wallet was there, burnt in half, with £30 visible. I left it exactly how it was, was going to give it to Bill but it's not my place to.
On his railway there was various points saying stations, Load Recess, And "Los Angeles Station, in brackets Via Carmel" Which was the name of the village. His son lives in Los Angeles and was due to go on a plane for the first time in his life at the end of the year.
There was things around the house that made you think what the night must of been like, and what Bill be thinking every day.
One thing I noticed on the wall of the master bedroom was a burn shape, it was in the shape of a dressing gown, i think it's simple things like that made me think what the night could of been like.
The pictures themselves make it look as though it was a small fire that was innocently put out after two two hours. Look further into the picture, and listen to people about stories and you realise it wasn't a small fire, it was an almighty hell raise which took a life of a perfectly innocent man.
Anyway the pictures, I really havn't done the cottage or the damage justice.
More pictures can be found here:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=72321
And also on my flickr.
Thanks for reading
