Irony...

Here's the timeline...
Last week, I post a blog entry entitled:


"Just Smurfy!"




This morning at 0730, my boss holds a monthly
All RPSC/NANA Safety Meeting in the Galley, and
the topic is: "Death and Destruction in Antarctica",
focusing specifically on the fires many years ago
that destroyed the Chapel and the old Vehicle
Maintenance Facility. Some great video footage
of historic fire tragedies that took place before
most of us had even heard of McMurdo. The focus
of the meeting was to keep people aware that
disasters can happen here and that we should
always be prepared for them.


This morning at approximately 1023, I'm sitting
at my desk working on a report when I hear over
the scanner that "THE SMURF SHACK IS ON FIRE".
I think two or three of us in the office simultan-
eously said "Oh Crap!" and moments later I was
racing down to Building 165 to perform my duties
at the EOC (Emergency Operations Center). The
reasons are still unknown what caused the fire as
the closest people to the Shack were miles away,
in town at the time it is thought to have begun.
Almost 500 gallons of fuel used to heat the shack
were lost and the flames were easily seen from
town, over a dozen miles away. We've asked Don
if we can have our next Safety Meeting cover the
possibilities of having everyone on station win the
Lotto since he seems to have some kind of precogniscent
ability to forcast upcoming events!