"Pull over," I yelled. Rachel kept driving.
I could feel the heat from the building and smoke was making my eyes sting. We were already out of my comfort zone.
"Pull over, now." Is she deaf?
"We can get closer."
"Stop the van right now, Rachel." She jabbed at the brakes, then slammed the van into park.
"I want a wide shot of the fire so viewers can see the magnitude of this thing," I lied. "We need to start here and move in slowly."
Rachel glared at me as she worked to get her gear set up. I will smooth things over later, no time now.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the producer.
"We are in place, Stan. This thing is big. We will be filming in a couple of minutes."
"Get me a live feed."
Video and sound were connected to the van's satellite system and we moved into position to get the best possible shot from this distance. Once our hook-up was verified, I stood in front of the camera and gave a quick description of the scene.
"We're going to move in closer now and see if we can get comments from these brave fire-fighters." As we inched closer, Rachel kept the camera rolling--panning between various components of the drama unfolding before us. The water shooting from a fire hose. Fire-fighters running into the building, disappearing into the flames. A row of EMS ambulances standing at the ready.
I was a wreck. This was my first live coverage, and the flames engulfing the building were telling me there would be casualties. Lots of casualties. The knot in my gut felt like it might have forced my stomach contents out...if there had been anything in my stomach. I kept talking and moving closer, mostly to keep myself from losing it.
We found the scene commander and I pushed the microphone to his face. "Any idea what caused the fire?"
He paused. The look on his face said that he didn't want to deal with me. Then he saw the camera and his demeanor changed. He became Mister Public Relations.
"We won't know for sure until the fire is out and investigators can get inside. But it sounds like it may have been a meth-lab explosion. That kind of thing happens a lot in neighborhoods like this one." He lifted his head, looking slightly down his nose at me.
"There are a number of ambulances waiting over there. Was the building occupied when this happened? Are there still people inside?" I was afraid of the answer I knew was coming.
"This is an apartment building and it is apparently fully occupied. A lot of people inside, most of them sleeping when the fire broke out. We don't know how many got out."
I couldn't help it. I wretched on camera. Nothing came out and I did my best to cover it up, but I was certain that I was not successful. The chief tried to cover me.
"But we are certain that there are some people left inside and we are going to do everything we can to save as many as we can."
The fire-fighters began to stir near the exit. Voices sounded excited.
"Thank you, Chief, for your hard work." I turned my attention to Rachel. "Get a shot of the entrance. Something is happening over there."
Men were shouting commands and making room for something at the entrance. Someone emerged with a woman hanging limp in his arms. Her clothing and hair were charred.
Was she black? She must be black if she lived in this neighborhood. It really didn't matter. She was a human being and that was the important thing. But it broke my heart that I could not tell what her race was because she was so badly burned. She was alive, but obviously not going to make it.
Then another fireman emerged -- and another victim. A parade of horrors had begun.
=============================================================
[To Be Continued . . .]
If you have not read the first installment, HERE is a link.
I could feel the heat from the building and smoke was making my eyes sting. We were already out of my comfort zone.
"Pull over, now." Is she deaf?
"We can get closer."
"Stop the van right now, Rachel." She jabbed at the brakes, then slammed the van into park.
"I want a wide shot of the fire so viewers can see the magnitude of this thing," I lied. "We need to start here and move in slowly."
Rachel glared at me as she worked to get her gear set up. I will smooth things over later, no time now.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the producer.
"We are in place, Stan. This thing is big. We will be filming in a couple of minutes."
"Get me a live feed."
Video and sound were connected to the van's satellite system and we moved into position to get the best possible shot from this distance. Once our hook-up was verified, I stood in front of the camera and gave a quick description of the scene.
"We're going to move in closer now and see if we can get comments from these brave fire-fighters." As we inched closer, Rachel kept the camera rolling--panning between various components of the drama unfolding before us. The water shooting from a fire hose. Fire-fighters running into the building, disappearing into the flames. A row of EMS ambulances standing at the ready.
I was a wreck. This was my first live coverage, and the flames engulfing the building were telling me there would be casualties. Lots of casualties. The knot in my gut felt like it might have forced my stomach contents out...if there had been anything in my stomach. I kept talking and moving closer, mostly to keep myself from losing it.
We found the scene commander and I pushed the microphone to his face. "Any idea what caused the fire?"
He paused. The look on his face said that he didn't want to deal with me. Then he saw the camera and his demeanor changed. He became Mister Public Relations.
"We won't know for sure until the fire is out and investigators can get inside. But it sounds like it may have been a meth-lab explosion. That kind of thing happens a lot in neighborhoods like this one." He lifted his head, looking slightly down his nose at me.
"There are a number of ambulances waiting over there. Was the building occupied when this happened? Are there still people inside?" I was afraid of the answer I knew was coming.
"This is an apartment building and it is apparently fully occupied. A lot of people inside, most of them sleeping when the fire broke out. We don't know how many got out."
I couldn't help it. I wretched on camera. Nothing came out and I did my best to cover it up, but I was certain that I was not successful. The chief tried to cover me.
"But we are certain that there are some people left inside and we are going to do everything we can to save as many as we can."
The fire-fighters began to stir near the exit. Voices sounded excited.
"Thank you, Chief, for your hard work." I turned my attention to Rachel. "Get a shot of the entrance. Something is happening over there."
Men were shouting commands and making room for something at the entrance. Someone emerged with a woman hanging limp in his arms. Her clothing and hair were charred.
Was she black? She must be black if she lived in this neighborhood. It really didn't matter. She was a human being and that was the important thing. But it broke my heart that I could not tell what her race was because she was so badly burned. She was alive, but obviously not going to make it.
Then another fireman emerged -- and another victim. A parade of horrors had begun.
=============================================================
[To Be Continued . . .]
If you have not read the first installment, HERE is a link.