Homeplace Fire

Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend

This was the house I grew up in, located in rural Maryland.  The property was zoned industrial, so the house could not be sold as a residence.  The foundation was crumbling and the walls were cracking, and no one lived there any more.  The Party People were taking it over, vandalizing and trashing it.  Rather than see an old friend suffer that humiliation, we decided to make a clean end of it.  This was in the mid 1970's.  The fire department would burn down old houses without charge for a training exercise.  I doubt that would be possible today with current environmental laws.

One last night in the old place


Firetrucks arrive in the morning


Windows are already popping from the heat at this point, and no flames are yet visible




This was as close to the heat as I could stand it.  Unfortunately this was the fatal blow for the grand old oak next to the house.




They are hosing it to keep the flames from getting too high.






This is nearly the identical view to the 4th photo above.


How it looks today.  The old house was located somewhere near the center of the Soccer Dome.