It was a puzzling moment at the office today.

At about 3:30 this afternoon, it was announced overhead by one our staff that we needed to evacuate the office. I headed for the back door of the building with a colleague, and we walked out and onto and up 3rd street to join the rest of the gathering staff at the entrance of the building. Sirens blared from two approaching fire engines as we came up on Gold Street- and then a paramedic vehicle with lights flashing joined the party. Our staff was on the sidewalk in front of the building, and the rabble parted as the two fire truck crews bounded out of their trucks to appraise the situation and enter the building.

For us outside, it was a curious wait to see what was going on.

We had brought our personal affects outside in case the event was more serious and we would depart for the day, so, carrying the camera pack on my shoulder, I opened it and pulled the Rebel out and decided it would be nice to take a few fire truck pictures. I don’t know if it was smart, but I thought my nephew might like to see the trucks, so I used the time to take a few pictures.

Our staff continued to wait on the sidewalk in front of the building from about half an hour before we received the okay to re-enter the building.

The lobby had the smell of ozone, like something electrical zapped itself out. With some investigation, what began as concern about some electrical incident occurring in the walls of the building shifted to a theory that a fluorescent lamp upstairs in Cherry See’s side of the building gave it up.

It was kind of trippy, if only because we experienced a fire evacuation page 4 years ago that did not end well for a few businesses down our street.

The sunset at the end of the day was pretty great though.