Man trying to imitate TV show sparks massive N.Y. inferno, mayor says "COHOES, N.Y. -- An inferno that destroyed or damaged nearly two dozen buildings in a city in upstate New York was sparked by an amateur bladesmith who apparently was trying to imitate something he saw on TV, officials said. The blaze broke out Thursday afternoon in downtown Cohoes, just north of Albany, and was stoked by 20 to 30 mph winds. The Times Union of Albany reported that three buildings were destroyed, 18 others were damaged and at least 20 people were displaced. The city is under a state of emergency." Idiot burned down half of the 'city center'
The way I read it, he put fire in a barrel in his backyard (to attempt heating and bending something) and simply lost control with the wind. Whether Mrs. O'Leary's cow came along and kicked it over, well, Ah dunnoes. Should be an additional charge added. Terminally stupid.
Seems to me the Fire department was pretty slow in response, or poorly equipped, for that much damage .
Cohoes is a very old town, dating from the late 1700s. Wood construction at the core. Without knowing how he built the fire (and I'm betting on a heavy duty accellerant) plus knowing it was a windy day, it comes as no surprise it was hard to contain. That said, lots of details not in hand.
I am a fan of "Forged in Fire", and do hope to begin doing some smaller projects along similar lines, but I'd certainly have some safeguards in place (water hose and extinguishers) and take great care!
