You always hear sirens in the city, and always think they’re going somewhere else, but this evening we heard a lot of them, and they stopped in front of our house – four fire engines at one point. Nobody takes the threat of fire lightly, but on the Hill, if one row house catches fire, the possibility is good that others will, too.

A fireman told us that a neighbor smelled smoke coming from a unit in the first red brick house right of center and called the fire department. Apparently the owner/tenant had lit a fire in the fireplace and then left (!), except the damper was closed, so the apartment filled with smoke. You can see a ladder going to the middle floor as well as one to the roof a few buildings down. Finally the apartment was cleared of smoke and the excitement was over. He asked if we lived there, and I was happy to say we didn’t.

The District has a lot of problems, but one thing that isn’t problematic is the DC Fire Department. They are truly impressive.

Christmas in Seoul, posted earlier: