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We had two fires on our street in two weeks. Across the street and three houses down our neighbor was trying to start a car in his mother's backyard one afternoon. It backfired and caught on fire. My parents had just gotten home when it happened. So my dad helped the shaken elderly woman get out of her home and safely to another neighbors home. I called my parents to see if they were ok because the firetrucks were in front of their house. We heard the explosion but thought it was our neighbor Frank shooting squirrels again.
The next fire broke out in Frank's work shed early one rainy morning. The couple live across the street from us and one house over. Frank was probably up to no good. He was in his work shed at around 5:30 am working on what? I don't know and he wouldn't say. He didn't turn off his equipment or the lights before he went inside his home. The next thing he heard was an explosion and smoke coming from his shed. My dad heard several explosions and came running down the street barefoot. He thought it was at our home. He stopped Frank from going into the burning shed. Frank was rude to my dad and told him he needed to go home because there wasn't anything he could do.
We live in the city in a safe neighborhood. But it's common to hear gun shots. We know Frank shoots the squirrels and then burns them. He'll be the first to tell you he does it. But I don't know what the other neighbors are shooting at. At first when we heard something that resembled gun fire we stayed inside away from the windows. Unfortunately we live near the interstate and 18 wheelers make noises that resemble gun shots. The noise is muffled due to the other houses and trees. We've gotten use to it believe it or not. So I don't worry about it as much any more.
That's why I didn't think the explosions we heard were fires that broke out. I truly thought they were guns or a vehicle backfiring.
We have several police officers that live near us in our neighborhood. They ride down our street frequently.
It's also common to see a firetruck in our neighborhood because they make timed practice runs.
There is an assisted living house behind us and a few doors down that has an ambulance called to it at least once a month. And our neighbor directly across the street from us has cancer. He has had an ambulance called to the house several times as well.
It's amazing to see what one gets use to. I feel like I'm almost desensitized.
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