nothing to be done

July 09

12:32 AM

My mother ran into the living room, I was expecting to be yelled at for being up so late. She didn't even look at me as she ran for the door.

I never heard my uncle beating desperately on it.

My mom swung the door open and my uncle was in nothing but his briefs, shaking and crying.

He started crying; I've never seen that man cry. He collapsed into the chair nearest the door and yelled for mom to call 911.

He said his house burned down and he had just lost everything.

I initially didn't even take notice of the black spots covering him; and then later I thought it was ash. I later learned it was his skin being burned off.

He went to bed early that night, and his air-conditioner sparked, catching nearby clothes on fire. His house was in flames within minutes.

He said he never heard the fire alarm go off, he just suddenly remembered waking up from a dream and grabbing his keys before running outside. No one nearby would help him.

He drove all the way across town, and showed up on our doorstep.


12:46 AM

My uncle and my mother left me alone to take care of my sister while they followed the fire truck to my uncle's house.

But it was too late, there was nothing anyone could do.

The fire was put out, and my uncle returned to our home to wait for morning. He refused medical care.



9:52 AM:

The five full gas cans that were near my uncle's bedroom window ignite, and blow the rest of the house to pieces.

There is nothing to go back to, and nothing to salvage.



10:29 AM

The firetrucks are back at my uncle's house to quell the flames again.

They tear more walls down and douse everything they can.

This picture is of one of the firefighters as he gazed at the remains of a home and sighed.

It was then we knew there was nothing to be done; except move forward.




I'm not a photographer, I have no skill or concept of how to take a good photograph. This picture was a split second in time where I snapped a shot of the remains of the house, right before the second fire was put out.