An unforgiving fist of flames grasped tight around the four story building. Dark smoke escaped through the few shattered windows followed by fingers of orange that drummed against the walls at an uneven pace. The conflagration burned with reckless disregard, the intensity of its heat felt two blocks away. Abandoned months earlier, the well insured building served as a payday for the alibied owner who bought celebratory drinks for strangers at a bar across town.

From a third floor window, a voice cried out to be rescued. Disoriented from the thickening smoke, the trapped squatter sat isolated and thought about the tragedy his life had become. Not long after their house was foreclosed upon, he and his longtime girlfriend separated. She ran off with their two children and hadn’t been seen since. Penniless, he sought refuge in the dilapidated structure. Five months had passed but he continued lying to himself with words even he had difficulty believing.

“It’s only temporary.”

By the time the fire department arrived on the scene, a crowd of onlookers congregated on the sidewalk across the street. Two homeless friends with dirt smudged skin took turns sipping from a brown paper bag. While they basked in the warmth the fire provided, the liquor warmed them up from within. Another stranger, walking home from the market, pulled out a bag of marshmallows and made an off color remark about the fire. No one laughed.

A battalion of brave, yellow soldiers wearing fireproof clothing surrounded the building. Water cannons and hoses were discharged at the enemy in a battle of wills. Floor by floor, the first responders advanced. When they arrived at the third floor and found the resident motionless, a finger pressed against his pulse proved an outcome difficult to accept. The impassioned wails from the lifeless corpse could no longer cry out. The dog was dead.