A Fourth-Of-July House Fire In Woodland

I had just arrived at S.'s house in Woodland on a hot Fourth-of-July afternoon, when trouble reared its ugly head. I just missed hearing the double explosion that ignited a house fire on the next street over!

Left: A plume of smoke indicated trouble in the neighborhood near West Southwood and Sycamore Streets, in Woodland.

Left: All the neighbors came running to see what was going on.

Left: Everyone watched the Woodland Fire Department respond to the fire. In addition, since the fire was practically-adjacent to her house, the neighbor next door hosed down her roof as a precaution.

Left: S. got a better look over her back yard fence. She explained to everyone within earshot on the other side that her big concern was bottle rockets that the barbarous youth of Woodland might launch later on the evening of 4th of July that might land on her combustible roof, but people on the other side of the fence had more pressing priorities than musing on what the barbarous youth of Woodland might, or might not, do later in the evening.

Left and below: The Woodland Fire Department used a chain saw to quickly-cut a hole in the roof, in order to better-reach the fire in the attic.

Like taking a knife to a cake! All I could think was that they were inflicting thousands of dollars of damage on the house within the space of a minute. What choice did they have, though? If they failed to act, the fire could easily destroy the house altogether!
"B." later explained that a bum connector on the hose leading to the propane tanks on their gas grill was apparently to blame for the explosion(s). The gas grill was adjacent to the house, under a plastic awning. With the explosion, the awning caught fire. Then the fire spread to the house proper: specifically, to the attic above the kitchen.