Unaccountable Losses

Friday night it snowed here and the world turned white and pristine. Then came Friday night. They still aren't sure how the fire started. I know the apartment building well. It is right around the corner from where I live and just across the street from the fire station. It was an old historic building --- most of the buildings on Middle Street are old, historic buildings. A lot of people lived there.

So the fire started and it grew and grew and before long the building was engulfed in flames. All but one person made it out alive. All of them lost everything. The firemen were there immediately but they were no match for the fire that soared up the central air shaft of the old building and took everything in its path. And it spread.

Photo of the fire by Jay Albert
See more of Jay's photographs of the fire here.

Next door is another historic building which was originally built as the First Parish Church --- a Unitarian Church, one of the oldest in the country. It is two blocks from the home of Judith Sargeant Murray, now a museum, and three blocks from the existing Unitarian-Universalist Church which is the oldest in America. Their first cemetery is in my backyard. I can see the tombstones and ancient vaults as I write this. A hundred years ago the First Parish Church was sold to the local Jewish community and served them all these many years as Temple Ahavat Achim. Over the years I have attended lectures, book readings and concerts there. It was a beautiful place.

So the fire spread and the Temple was next. Firemen came from seven local communities, they worked through the night. Directly behind the Temple is the Sawyer Free Library which I love dearly. Saving it became a huge priority.

Fires are a thing I know more about than I want to. Many years ago I was in a fire that I try not to think about but which, when something like this happens, comes back in vivid detail. It was about the same time of year --- I had been addressing Christmas cards just hours earlier. I worked there and was the only one on duty that afternoon. I had walked down to the basement to see if the dryer was working --- we had been having problems with it. There was a pan on the stove which had a low-hanging cupboard over it. It went up in seconds. By the time I came back upstairs the whole kitchen was on fire. I prefer not to talk about the rest.

Fire is vicious. It is voracious and relentless and horrible. It does horrible things. The apartment building and all those people's homes were lost. So was the Temple where my dear friend Clare, creator of Modern Art Cats, worked as office manager. Had it not been for the half foot of snow on the roofs of surrounding buildings it would have been much worse. The library and the YMCA across the street were saved but will have smoke and water damage to contend with for weeks to come.

The next day the UU Church held a morning service for the members of the Temple. A time to grieve. In the midst of the ceremony, Clare reported to me, the doors open and in came a half dozen firemen still in their fire-battle dress. In their arms they carried what they had managed to salvage from the fire --- some sacred vestments and other treasured objects, part of the Torah. Everyone wept. Clare said that the very fact that these brave and noble men were gracious enough in the midst of such horror to try to save part of their revered treasures meant more to the congregation than words could say.

And so there will be time to grieve and then there will be time to reassess and begin the process of rebuilding. The Action Shelter on Main Street and the Action Office are accepting donations for the residents of the Lorraine Apartments. Checks can be sent to Action. The UU Church will share space with the Temple for awhile and they will find other office space. Life will go on.

The firemen were amazing --- bold, brave, strong, a credit to us all. Words cannot describe how blessed we are to have them. People are coming together to help those left homeless. The generosity and love of the community is at its best in times like these. That is the blessing in the midst of the horror.

Thanks for reading.