Hydrant

A Crowded City Street

The Jacobs went on an outing to the country. They lived on a crowded city street. The homes were all attached to one another and appeared as giant granary warehouses filling blocks upon blocks.

When they returned they noticed a sleek SUV blocking the fire hydrant.

Mr. Jacobs was going to call the city. He was a bit worried about the fire department not having access in case of an emergency.

“I think I’ll call the city,” he suggested.

“Don’t you dare,” scolded his wife. “Those are our neighbors. They live across the street.”

“That’s the friendly doctor with the stroller,” said his son.

“No it isn’t,” replied Mr. Jacobs. “They have a different car.”

Nevertheless, Mr. Jacobs decided not to call the city. He wasn’t able to stand the heat from his family.

The Sanchez family rented a condo on the third floor of the building adjacent to the Jacobs.

Mrs. Sanchez was traveling on a business trip. Mr. Sanchez was going to make his favorite sweet potato fries. Mrs. Sanchez never allowed it when she was home. She didn’t approve of oil splattering everywhere.

The sweet potato fries were on the stove when Mr. Sanchez received a call from his employer about a roof deck issue nearby. He checked his phone to review the charts.

Just then the splattering oil caught on fire, igniting the stove. Mr. Sanchez dropped his phone and searched for the fire extinguisher. He couldn’t remember where it was. The fire raged across the kitchen table, eviscerating the white table cloth. Everything was in slow motion as embers and smoke filled the air.

Mr. Sanchez grabbed Kitty from the couch and ran outside. The flames engulfed the fourth floor of the building and then danced to both adjacent buildings.

Mr. Jacobs was in the shower. He heard faint screams above the steam. There seemed to be something other than steam swirling around the bathtub.

He turned off the water and touched the bathroom door. It was burning hot. Smoke overtook steam.

He gasped for breath. He turned the shower back on. The ceiling collapsed inside the tub.

Fire engines circled the street. They could not access the fire hydrant.

Mr. Jacobs couldn’t take the heat any longer as the tub fell out from beneath him.

A story by Pemba Umoja