When I was a young boy, I couldn’t stay away from fire – there is some allure for boys. Playing with fire was not a metaphor but rather a real activity. We got matches, we tried rubbing sticks, and we lit grass clumps from mowed lawns with magnifying glasses. And I became a Boy Scout – one of the benefits was that it legitimized using fire – what’s camping without a campfire? We were just mesmerized by fire and flames.
The photo was taken on Carmine Street in the Village. It was a practice session involving members of CERT, or Community Emergency Response Team – a group of neighborhood and community-based volunteers who undergo an intensive, 11-week training program in disaster preparedness and basic response skills. Volunteers took turns putting out a small fire. The billowing flames in the evening light was quite a spectacle.
But, regardless of the merits of the program, everyone observing was drawn by the mesmerizing effect of those flames.
Whenever I see firemen, I always feel that somewhere in there is a little boy who never outgrew his interest in fire and just transmuted it into a profession. Good for all concerned, n’est-ce pas?
I don’t think it’s just a thing for boys- I know I carried a packet of matches with me everywhere I went for a very long time (and no, I wasn’t smoking!).
It’s all good, though.
A flame is mesmerising, yes. I’ve been reading your Blog for a week or so now, by the way – great photos! You would have loved the huge bonfire I saw, last Bonfire Night. It was a village show, and they built a stage outside, to put on a show. Then fireworks followed, before they burnt down the outdoor stage – it was huge! Give me a second, and I’ll post the photo and leave a link 🙂
I linked to you in my 12 of 12 challenge post, in case you got any random new readers!
This is the permalink – http://dogearedphotos.blogspot.com/2008/05/archives-sticklepath-fire-show.html
I gave you another shout out, so my other photo friends can find you 😀
Good fire shot! Did you see mine from yesterday?
Wow. This is an intense photograph. I like the way it turned out.
Great photo! I too had/have a thing about fire and flames – its magical. (I’m not a pyromaniac!)
Hi!
Interesting shot!
You can use my photos for free at http://freeartisticphotos.com – all of them are taken by me and made Public Domain ; hope you enjoy them!
Cheers, Husac!