The Observation Deck

If you were like me, stuck in traffic on Warren Road around 12:15pm today. I feel your pain,
but you might want to know. Traffic was backed up because of workers doing sewage work
on Warren and it was properly coned off, then it got bad...


A man working on his motorcycle, set the garage on fire by accident. So when you add the
fire trucks and the rubber neckers to the traffic, you start to see why it came to a standstill.

However...



By the time I got up there, and parked the car, the fire was out, and Engine 3 was headed
home. The good news is the fire department was there quickly, and got in under control.
You can see the heat was melting something dripping down at the door, so it was hot, and
it was big. Kudos also to the property owner that realized the fire was out of control.


Great work Lakewood Fire Department.


.

Then I got this letter.

As the homeowners where this occurred, it would be appreciated if you would gather all the information to give an accurate reporting of an incident, and avoid slanderous comments.

Your statement of, " A man working on his motorcycle, set the garage on fire by accident. ", is entirely false. You didn't speak with anyone to find out what had actually happened. The garage was closed and my husband was in the house. His motorcycle, (seen partially in your photo), caught fire, which resulted in much of everything else in our garage being destroyed. You are stating my husband is inept and incompetent, however, as he is a Retired Navy Chief, you owe him an apology for slander and defamation of character, besides thanking him for his service to his country. I'm sure he is more aware of proper safety protocols than you know exist.

Your statement of, "Kudos also to the property owner that realized the fire was out of control.", doesn't even make sense. We would like to thank the caring person driving down Warren Road that saw the smoke billowing out from under the door and garage sides, and phoned the Fire Department. The sirens, trucks stopping, and firemen running at our house was how my husband learned our garage was on fire.

Your last statement of, "Great work Lakewood Fire Department.", is the only accuracy in this since it was their quick work that saved this from becoming worse. We walked to the firehouse when I arrived home to let them know how much we appreciate them, and thanked them for taking such great care of us.

Rebecca M. Ware

In my defense, I stopped and talked with Fire Fighters, and neighbors that gave me the story.

I am glad we can print, the homeowner's actual version of the incident.

.

I don't know if his motorcycle catching fire in the garage and not becoming aware of it until firefighters were running through his yard makes him seem less "inept and incompetent." Poor Jim, we all dump on him (including me) but we should all thank him for his service to our city, just as this lady thinks we should all thank her husband for his service (which we should).

todd vainisi wrote:Poor Jim, we all dump on him (including me) but we should all thank him for his service to our city, just as this lady thinks we should all thank her husband for his service (which we should).

+1

todd vainisi wrote:I don't know if his motorcycle catching fire in the garage and not becoming aware of it until firefighters were running through his yard makes him seem less "inept and incompetent." Poor Jim, we all dump on him (including me) but we should all thank him for his service to our city, just as this lady thinks we should all thank her husband for his service (which we should).

Todd

There is no such person as "Poor Jim."

I am rich in life and rich in friends. This project has given me and others a rare look not just into a city we all love,
but a city that is just fascinating to "observe." I mean some of it is unbelievably funny in a sick kind of way.

Thanks to all that take part. It is greatly appreciated.

.