Where there is smoke...

So my house has not burnt down and I am still alive. I was never really in mortal peril, but it's not everyday that the building two doors down catches fire!

The firemen did their job and put out the fire, leaving a charred pile of burnt furniture on the sidewalk.

The resulting husk of the burnt-out building....umm...looks fine?

In fact, it is hard to tell that there was a fire in this building at all! Obviously the bricks did their jobs and contained the fire (80% of Birmingham's buildings are made of brick!)

Free firewood, anyone?