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Canon Image Challenge | all galleries >> Challenges From The Past >> 2012 Challenges >> CIC 69 - Telling Stories (Hosted by Najinsky) >> CIC 69 - Eligible > Fire
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10-JUN-2012 Najinsky

Fire

St Martin, Guernsey, C.I.

A derelict hotel across the road from my house has been ablaze for about 3 hours. It's perilously close to the two houses centre and right but it looks like the fire crews have brought it under control. I took the camera to the top of the house and took this from the window. I was tempted to walk over for a closer look but it's on private land and there's a lot of activity at the entrance and I decided they din't need me getting in the way.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II ,Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
1/15s f/1.4 at 50.0mm iso3200 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
comment
Guest 19-Jun-2012 21:16
Very nice image, I think it's my eligible fav.

Sierra
Canon Image Challenge12-Jun-2012 19:20
I watched my next door neighbor's house virtually burn to the ground several years back and at the same time hoping the fire didn't spread to my house. I did catch some nice images but not when it was in full blaze like this. Paul
Canon Image Challenge12-Jun-2012 18:03
Yes, a fine capture of a terrible event.
jim
Canon Image Challenge12-Jun-2012 10:43
Actually, arson crossed my mind, which is why I shifted my initial wording from Tragedy to...event. Still, a powerful image. Traveller
Canon Image Challenge11-Jun-2012 23:05
Thanks for the comments.

Shu it's a long running story. The location is prime and it has probably the best vistas of the whole Island. It was destroyed by fire some time ago and has been derelict for almost 10 years. It has been a tremendous loss to the charm of the Island but, cheap flights within Europe have hit local tourism (you can fly from England to Rome or sometimes New York cheaper than you can fly to the Island). The land therefore became more valuable to developers than Hoteliers. It is widely believed that the developers bought it to build prime dwellings.

However, Guernsey has strict (some say archaic) planning laws where zones of land have a designated use, and to apply for change of use, the current use has to have been inactive for 10 years. Hence 10 years of dereliction. The 10 years is up later this year, but I doubt if the developers accounted for the global eccodown-turn, so who knows if their suspected plan to build is still viable, but with such a prime location I suspect it probably will be.

This latest fire is being treated as arson with risk to life, so is very serious. I've been interviewed by both the Police and the local Press. I didn't mention I was currently engaged in a photography contest that was looking for a photo story, they already have enough leads to go on!

I did tell the press I had some photos if they wanted to use them, but they said they had take their own. Having seen the paper this morning, I they should have used mine!

-Najinsky
Canon Image Challenge11-Jun-2012 15:04
it's a story of tragedy and perhaps a new beginning......(something nice may be built in its place?) shu
Guest 11-Jun-2012 03:37
This is frightening being so close to your home....but excellent color and capture of the this event. Traveller