On Thursday, June 8th, we had what could be the biggest fire in Morgantown’s recent history. I was with some friends relaxing after work at our brewpub when groups of fire trucks kept speeding down Beechurst Ave. It seemed like they were going about 60 MPH and God forbid if anything got in their way. Eventually, we started to see tanker trunks doing the same thing. They only bring out those for big fires or for remote areas without water access. We knew something big was up.
A friend went outside to check if she could see anything. "It looked like a black mushroom cloud in the direction of Sunnyside." We could smell the smoke and even see bits of fly ash floating in the air. We thought it was perhaps near by in Sunnyside–an area of once decent old homes that have been converted over the years into ramshackle student tenements. That place is one big fire hazard.
Our illustrious newspaper had a note in the next day’s publication with something like: “And patrons at the brewpub were wondering what was causing the smoke…” Excuse me! We all knew what was causing the smoke. It’s something called FIRE! We were wondering exactly what was on fire.
Anyhow, what was on fire were some newly built and being-built luxury condos and townhouses out on Route 705. (Someone told me that a one bedroom in those goes for about $100,000). They used about one million gallons of water to fight the fire. Definitely, millions of dollars in damages.
Further information can be found on these links for those who are interested.
W AJR AM (see June 8th 2006 entry)
And from
Pittsburgh, channel 4 WTAE-TV
(they have a link to a video, but unfortunately it doesn’t work)
This cardinal has been banging into my bedroom window for about a month or two now. I guess he sees his reflection in the glass and thinks it is a competing male. He starts in the morning and goes all day long. He pecks from this perch and then then flies into the glass.
