» UWS Photo Of The Day: Fire At 104th & West End

UWS Photo Of The Day: Fire At 104th & West End

Tuesday, September 11th, 2012

MUW reader @ashirak sent in this photo yesterday, although I didn’t get to post it due to “Ratgate.”

Per Ashira:

Fire in 6th floor apt on W. 104 & West End, FDNY has four engines on scene.

The photo was snapped just before 6:00 pm. I couldn’t find any news on the incident — other than the note from Ashira and what you see in the picture, that’s all I know.

But that’s not really my point.

Incidents like this happen pretty much every day on the Upper West Side and throughout NYC. I live near Broadway and work from home — fire trucks are a constant presence.

If you’ll indulge me, I just wanted take a moment to write that while pretty much everyone thinks about firemen (and police officers, EMS workers, and other types of first responders) on September 11th, they’re out there the other 364 days of the year too.

I don’t know the details from last night, but I do know that one of New York’s bravest was climbing a 6-story ladder to enter an apartment you or I would certainly be trying to leave.

The photo below is from last year’s 10th anniversary 9/11 memorial service — it took place right here on the Upper West Side at the Firemen’s Memorial in Riverside Park.

MUW reader Michael Pearl snapped the image and it’s stuck with me ever since (there are some other photos and a short video clip from that day in the post as well).

Apologies for the somber tone, but given the date, I thought this was worth sharing.