Came upon a burning home today...

RobertN · Oct 8, 2011

I remember the 1973 Roseville Ca rail yard explosions. Munitions shipment starting going off; we're talking big bombs, bound for Vietnam. I was not at the actual scene, but had cousins that lived close. My Grandparents lived further away, but still had to be evacuated.

Our house was probably ten miles away as a crow flies, but we clearly heard the explosions.I was ten, and watching cartoons when it started. My Mom came out, very concerned about bombs going off. I thought they were sonic booms; you still heard them now and then back then. Well, Mom had been in Jr High in Herlong, Ca in the '50's. Every day around noon they detonated old ordinance in a pit at the depot(Herlong Army Depot is north of Reno Nevada an hour and a half or so). She knew what big bombs sounded like, because those demolitions could be clearly heard in town.

There was no much to be done about the railyard explosions at first; it was too dangerous to get close to. Huge chunks of train pieces, trucks, wheel ect blew extremely long distances away. The explosions kept up for four days. Seems there were thousands of 250lb bombs within 21 rail cars.

That area, east of Sacramento, used to be rural; now it is covered in houses.

And guess what has continued to be found over the years... Bombs, and/or parts of bombs. While digging for swimming pools, grading for new sub divisions, and upgrades of parts of the still active railyard.

Having become a firefighter years later, I can not imagine what it was like back thrn. They could not get anywhere near it. Even news crews could not get near, on the ground or in helicopter because of flying shrapnel.

rv bombs01 pictures from trains photos on webshots
Roseville April 28, 1973 pictures from trains photos on webshots
Train explosion remembered - Roseville Press-Tribune

charliepff · Oct 8, 2011

Back in the late 1970's and early 1980's smoke detectors were a luxury i guess, cause i don't think these people had them.

I work in the one of the richest or richest counties in the nation and there are still homes that do not have smoke detectors. A lot of departments have now resorted to giving home owners detectors and installing them if need be. We have a program where every Saturday we go out for two hours and pick one street in the first due and go door to door. It always amazes me the people that turn this service down. IT amazes me even more how many people do not like firefighters as well as police. I know some of the busier departments do not have the time to go door to door. They take time after a fire such as the one you were at and go door to door on that block after they clean up from the fire.

You did a great job stepping up like that. We just recently had a house that burned for twenty minutes before anyone called it in. It was on a very busy street too. The only person that stopped was a news reporter and an immediate neighbor when they got home. They both did a good job tracking down the homeowner and helping us getting equipment in place. You also made a very good decision on not going in. We usually go by a saying of "risk a lot to save a lot; risk little to save little". As disapointing as it sounds the first in officer needs to make the assesment of how much he is willing to risk to save a person or structure. He also has the hard job of making the call when conditions are just to bad and anyone in side is already dead. A house charged with smoke to that extent was more then what anyone could handle.

Again, great job. I wish more people were that way. :thumbsup:

CompactTractorFan · Oct 8, 2011

Western said:
Bird, remember the fire at the gas company in Dallas 1-2 years ago? looked like the 4th of July in a BIG way! those cylinders where going every where.

Had one of them around here a year or two ago also...:confused2:

RobertBrown · Oct 8, 2011

That's all you can do when the smoke is coming out like that. I know how you feel.
Same thing happened to me once. The women asked me to save her cat. I crawled in just a few feet and realized there was no way with out breathing apparatus. Then I heard the the sirens and got out of the way.
It's better to stay out and let the experts do their job, what they are trained to do.
You wish you could help but it's a lot more likely you'll need rescue yourself.
Good job, you did the right thing

ultrarunner · Oct 9, 2011

two_bit_score said:
In this last incident you were at the right place at the right time for what you had to do. That was not by accident.

Not to get too much off topic... here's the rest of the story.

I was actually on my way to a Hardware Store in Oakland... at the time of the fire, there was a robbery, shooting and car jacking at that hardware store... the parking lot is small, maybe 30 spaces tops.

The thief crashed the car on the 580 on ramp and the law enforcement closed the entire north bound freeway for hours... the new stations used a term not heard often... they said it was a dragnet with multiple agencies involved... never did find the guy and the woman is in critical condition... security cameras from the ACE hardware have it on tape...

That Thursday was a very strange day... the shooting coincided exactly with the first fire truck arrival time...

Never made it to ACE Thursday... was there at 8 am this morning.

CompactTractorFan · Oct 9, 2011

ultrarunner said:
Not to get too much off topic... here's the rest of the story.

I was actually on my way to a Hardware Store in Oakland... at the time of the fire, there was a robbery, shooting and car jacking at that hardware store... the parking lot is small, maybe 30 spaces tops.

The thief crashed the car on the 580 on ramp and the law enforcement closed the entire north bound freeway for hours... the new stations used a term not heard often... they said it was a dragnet with multiple agencies involved... never did find the guy and the woman is in critical condition... security cameras from the ACE hardware have it on tape...

That Thursday was a very strange day... the shooting coincided exactly with the first fire truck arrival time...

Never made it to ACE Thursday... was there at 8 am this morning.

I bet that's a day you will never forget...:confused2:

First one · Oct 9, 2011

ultrarunner said:
Still a little shaken although better now that I learned no one died in the fire.

I had just left my tractor barn after picking up a little electric hammer for a job I needed to do.

As a got about two blocks away, I noticed low thick smoke through the trees... we are having strange weather right now, Blue Angels in town and had to cancel practice because of huge intermittent showers and lightning.

So I pull closer to the home and see an old women frantic in the driveway saying my house is burning and yelling for her husband... she had gone out for groceries and last night was the first cold night of the season... so lots of folks were heating for the first time.

The 1700 square foot ranch home had thick brown smoke oozing from every crack and encircling the eves... home had a tile roof...

I call 911 and try to back my truck and trailer out so responders have room.... 911 call took awhile because it goes to Highway Patrol first and then transfers where you have to repeat all the info...

In the heat of the moment, I approached to go in... yet the smoke really started billowing out.

I told her fire is on the way and an ambulance... I go out to the road and direct the responders and help with the fire lines/traffic all the while feeling bad for thinking what if the old guy is laying there and a minute might save his life...

The rain is intense and one of the firefighters went in and was injured... turns out, no one was home because her elderly husband was picked up be a friend.

It's a haunting feeling when you are the only one that can act and have to make a split second decision...

Home is a total loss... battalion captain thanked me for my help and said it was fortunate I happened to come by.

Thank God for people like you !! I'm sure that old lady didn't know what to do and you came to her rescue!! To see you took the time to make sure the fire department was called and to try and make it easier for them to find it when they came, and you took all that trouble away from her. You did the right thing by not going in the house when there were that much smoke coming out you would not be able to see or find anything . Glad to hear that no one was in the house at the time.
Even if there had been someone in the house, without the training and oxygen tank to breath it could have meant your life! You did the right thing! good job buddy!
You were needed there , by the sounds of what went on at the hardware store.Just think if you had not stopped to help what could have gone wrong at the store.

chucko · Oct 14, 2011

I got to see (well for a second I got out of there fast) on of those trucks that hauls the tanks of welding supply gas. One of the draftsman that worked with me stayed and watched it. I told him if he could see it he was to close to it