UPDATE: This spoof of Tony Christie’s song was actually performed by Staff Sergeant Roger Parr of Britain’s Royal Dragoons. He is not an “Amarilloian” as the floating email states.

Still funny, still a favorite of real Amarilloians.

My children learned a very important lesson last night. No don’t worry they didn’t start anything on fire, the little boy down the street did.

I received a call from my Aunt DeeDee asking if we were OK. Sure we were, Why? She informed me she had heard about a fire down the street from us. As I opened the door to look I was nearly knocked down by the smoke. With the reflecion of the lights off the numerous fire engines, ambulances, police cars it was impossible to see which house was on fire. Each house’s windows were flashing red.

We walked down the side walk and found that the fire was 6 or 7 houses down on our side of the street. We didn’t go far enough to see, instead we stood back and met more neighbors than we have in our near two years of living here. One by one residents would stumble out of their homes, many in there PJ’s and house shoes. Wrapped in blankets and rubbing their eyes each would question what is going on out there. We gathered together in each other’s yards, mothers assuring their children that the fire wouldn’t spread to the other homes. I’m not sure how bad the fire was, I know the family won’t be living there for a while. Rumors of the fires cause began to spread like . . .well like wildfire. (Sorry) I was careful not to pass any on. It’s kinda like the media, the first hour of a catastrophe 80% of what they say is wrong. As the fire was quenced and the smoke lightened the neighbors found there way back to their beds. The emergency vehicles drove off and we began to say goodnight to our new neighborhood friends.

We stayed out in our yard and talked to the passerbys as they headed home. As we stood there some aquaintances of ours came up. I say aquaintace cause I can’t remember their names. They did know ours,(I hate it when that happens) I asked if they were related to the owners of the house (I had seen them let through the road block earlier) they said yes the lady was their neice. They offered up the info of how the fire really started:

Their dear nephew Josh had been playing with fire and had lit a pizza box on fire. Josh?!? I have a cousin named Josh who started a house fire when he was a boy. Interesting. . .Hmmmm. . .Perhaps to have a talk with my own “Joshua”.

I wish I could have taken a picture, as I struggled to get my camera to work, Joshua said, “sorry mom, sorry I broke your camera” I asked “what do you mean” He replied “I dropped it hard, I broke it bad.” As I took it into the light I realized he was right, it is completely busted. But hey I can’t complain at least he didn’t burn my house down.