Miguel's Fire!

Here's the restaurant all ablaze, or at least all asmoke. The original

composition was vertical, and there was nothing in the sky or grass

that added to the image, so I cropped to the square format.

Wow, now that's what I call a fire hose! Did the city water pressure drop while this fire was being fought? Nice reportorial work, Jim. The shapes and colors are quite striking.

The hoses spiraled around the hydrant really make a fascinating pattern. Takes the mind right off the stuff going on way back there in the background. Somebody smoking, you say?

They were using a tremendous amount of water for sure, Too bad the only hose that was really doing any good was the one on the ladder shown here.

 

The firefighters in the previous image were spaying water on the right side of the building. The outside was vinyl siding which they were knocking off rather easily. Under that was press-board which they were soaking with water. There were two other walls right behind that: a rock wall (which used to be the external wall) and an internal block wall. Virtually no water was reaching the two inner walls.

 

Officially, it was a kitchen fire, but some were speculating that a new mexican restaurant in the area was taking their business, so it may have been an intentional fire to collect insurance.

 

This was one case where it was nice to be a "local". I knew 2 policemen, the owners, and a couple of the firefighters, so I had nearly free reign as I walked around with my camera. At the same time they were constantly running other people away.

Here the hoses make something of an interesting pattern, so the foreground has some interest, but this doesn't work as a news photo.

 

We know from the picture that there is a fire up there and that it seems to be a Mexican restaurant called Miguel's, but you've made that of secondary importance to the hoses. Half the frame is grass and hoses. So what is the story -- the fire at the restaurant or the hoses?

 

Your other fire pic is better.

Most photographers would have taken the same old cliche photos of firefighters in action. You had the originality and thought to walk around, with your eyes wide open, and saw something that caught your eye. Excellent shot, reducing elements to their graphic basics.

 

Occasionally, if no one was hurt, you'll see an artistic shot in the paper, like this one.