Firefighters Use Hose Despite Rain Being Right There
Several fires have broken out near campus since the start of the Spring quarter. Most were small and unremarkable other than one last week that started on the Ave in the midst of a rainstorm. As an investigative journalist, something about this fire seemed off to me from the get-go.
When I was walking home that night, gazing at the billowing smoke, a simple question came to me that I couldn’t let go of: how does a fire start in the rain? We all know that water beats fire. However, in the case of this fire, the firefighters couldn’t rely on sky water and had to resort to using different water. So, if water usually beats fire, but sometimes fire can withstand water, where is the line?
Most people’s first reaction to seeing a fire would be to throw water on it, naturally. I would do the same, yet the firefighters of Seattle weren’t confident enough in the water being thrown down from the heavens to leave this particular fire alone. They insisted on putting public safety first and using additional water from somewhere other than the sky to put the fire out.
After doing some more digging, I discovered that the fire actually started inside of the building, where it was protected from the rain. I was stunned. Not only was the fire aware that it was raining, but it was actually smart enough to ignite itself away from its nemesis, water.
When I moved here from California, I thought the rain here in Seattle would surely protect me from the fires with which I’ve become so familiar. Apparently, I was wrong. The fire seems to be evolving, adapting to our age-old methods of killing it. This is a warning to you Seattle; the fire is getting smarter, are you? Are you prepared to do whatever it takes to stop it? There will come a time when an intelligent fire starts on a rainless day. What will happen then? Will the water provided by the firefighters be enough? It’s up to you, Seattle. I’m only an investigative journalist. I just tell you the problems, I don’t think of solutions.