Drawn to the flames

No sane person would ever walk towards a riot.

The violence is just too unpredictable. People run the other way, or hunker down in their homes and shops away from the threat.

Despite the deaths and terrible injuries from fire that happen in cities across Canada every year, there is a perception that fire is a lesser threat. A burning building is at once a spectacular tragedy and an exciting diversion.

That's the only explanation I can come up with for why some friends and I walked over to a fire at Vancouver's Quebec and 2nd Avenue last night.

We saw the smoke from the balconey of our Mount Pleasant condo before midnight . "That isn't a barbecue," somebody said.

"Should we go watch?"

I grabbed my camera. We went towards the smoke. We weren't the only ones, either. Hundreds of others came towards the industrial neighborhood. The police had to set up tape to keep the crowds back as the firefighters hosed down the blaze.

A smoky pillar billowed up above the flames and sparks. Ash swept up by a night breeze landed on our heads.

The crowd wasn't scared. The atmosphere reminded me of a neighborhood street party more than a disaster scene. I snapped shot after shot with my digital camera in poor lighting. Most of the shots turned out to look more like abstract art than news photos.

It's a good thing for us the building wasn't a fireworks factory. I guess I should have thought of that earlier.

The water kept pouring down and the blaze turned into a smoky haze. The crowd began to disperse.

We went home and had some ice cream. It was enough excitement for one night.

tags: fire at night, gawking onlookers, nothing to see here