Back in 1968, I lived in the town of Manchester, NH. One day a few years ago, just on a whim, I took a look at my old address there (84 Ash Street) using Google Maps. What I found was awful.
There had been a fire there on February 4, 2011 of which I found some very dramatic photographs. The above Google image dates from July of that year.
According to newspaper archives, the fire was thought to have begun on a third floor hallway which would have been just outside of my old apartment. That and the apartment across the hall where a neighboring family I had gotten to know had been living look like they were indeed the heart and center of that fire.
I found the following in the Manchester Union Leader newspaper archives:
Nineteen people had been rendered homeless. One resident, a custodian at a nearby elementary school, had lost everything including two pet cats. As long ago as this fire was and despite those intervening years, this was still very disturbing news to have come across.
Recently, again just on a whim, I took another look at that address using Google Maps and something different came up:
The building had been restored. The brick chimney got replaced and one window shutter had gone missing from the front, but the building is apparently occupied again and there is even a "For Rent" sign.
I had absolutely nothing to do with any of the subject events, but I still felt glad to learn of the building's restoration.
No, I do not plan to move back.
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