Woke at 4.30am this morning to a beeping that I couldn’t place and finally realised it was coming from outside. Stepped out onto the front porch in my boxers and shirt (it is still very cold here and been raining on and off!) — had a quick look up and down the street and couldn’t see anything. Smelt smoke, but our neighbours have a kanara so it usually smells smokey during the colder moments over winter.
So, deciding that it was a car alarm or the alarm on our neighbour’s PAP machine I went back to sleep. I had woken Jen when I got out of bed to investigate and she too thought the sound was out. Neither of us recognised it as a smoke alarm.
About 10 minutes later as I was about to drift off the sound of siren’s woke us and brilliant red and white lights started flashing around the curtains. We both were up and throwing on dressing gown, slippers and glasses we opened the front door to find 5 fire engines in front of our house, smoke pouring from the roof our neighbour, the house across the road. Within minutes, an ambulance and two police cars joined the scene, adding their own flashing lights to the light-fantastique.Pretty soon we were joined by our neighbours up and down the street, all of us in various sleep wear, track pants and sweaters, looking bleary eyed and scared. Through a gap in the trucks we watched the folk from the CFA (Country Fire Association) and the MFB (Melbourne Fire Brigade) assess the house and enter the house through the smoke. At this point we assumed that our neighbour was not home as we could not see her car. A few minutes later, several firey’s in breathing apparatus entered the house. One of the them came to ask if we knew if anyone was home, to which we answered that we thought the kids were with Dad and mum had gone out, as she often does, with her boyfriend as the car was gone. We were then told that the car was there.
Funny how you imagine the worst and make light of it. Up until then we had thought it bad but mesmerising, even going and waking our 7 year old son who wants to be a fireman to come look. He came and watched for a minute then went back to bed. The mood was sombre but almost clinical until that point the car was pointed out to us, hidden by the fence at the angel we were watching.
We watched fearful that they may find someone inside and finally the guys all came out and a hose was taken in by other guys in masks and breathing kits. They found no-one and eventually the smoke started to stop pouring out of the roof. I watched, standing with a neighbour, until dawn started to break and a couple of the trucks started to pack up.
Climbing back into bed, I joined Jen and we prayed that our neighbour was safe.
Sometime later, Jen sprang out of bed when she heard a car outside. She went across the road and spoke with the estranged husband, who had been the only one the Police cold contact. Jen told him some of the details but the remaining firetruck, boarding up the windows that had been broken to help get rid of the smoke, was able to tell him the details as the Police arrived.
About an hour or so after that, the Police had gone, the firetrucks and the husband had all gone. We were slowly getting into the Saturday morning rhythm when there was a shriek from across the road. Our neighbour had come home.
Jen went across and gave her a hug, as our neighbour’s parents and friends started arriving. Jen came home and we finished getting ready to head out as the Police arrived to talk. It seems our neighbour broke up with the boyfriend last night, and she is blaming him for the fire, finding his keys on the dining room table.
Sadly we don’t know this woman that well, apart from a wave and greeting when we pass in the cars or in front of the houses. Sure, she has borrowed our phone and we have spoken several times, but this incident really showed me how much we did not get to know her and the kids (who admittedly are much older than ours). ironically we experienced community and neighbourhood closely with the folk who stood beside us and watched the incident.
While there was no fire evident, just lots of smoke, the lights, the action was enough to keep me and many others mesmerised for a couple of hours in the cold dark dawn. Why is disaster to others such a draw card?
This has left me with more questions about how we as urban missionaries connect with neighbours, and the quality of that connection.
So, please if anything, pray for the family who have just lost their home and possessions, that they will find some peace and comfort through this. It has been the only positive thing I have about the incident, and while I was not able to put out the fire, or comfort them, I know that I can intercede for them. Should they return to the home, I plan on sharing a coffee or two with Kerry and hopefully giving her some healing.
Shalom.
