Follow Up: Center St Chicopee, MA

Early Sunday morning I passed by the scene of Saturday night's fire to do a follow up and to see just how devastating the blaze had been. I was moved by the sight of the burnt out building and the wall left standing. Myself and an amateur photographer stood starring at the structure as we engaged in a dialog about the previous night and the emotions display we both encountered. As I maneuvered around the scene, speaking with Lieutenant Kevin Morney of the Chicopee Fire Dept, he proceeded to tell me that the building was to come down very shortly. The remaining pieces of the building were unsafe, unstable, and "could come down with a sneeze," as one firefighter later stated. Not nearly as many people were present as the previous night, but crowds of spectators came and went, recording snippets of the action on their cell phones. Occasionally someone would appear with a camera in hand, making a snap shot or two of what was transpiring. I decided then, after hearing the Lieutenant tell me the building needed to come down, that I must stay on scene and document it. The moment was disheartening, but the idea of the story compelled me to document it.As I moved around bearing witness to some last minute hot spot hose downs, emergency officials, city officials, business owners, fire restoration specialists, as well as the crew members of Associated Building Wreckers assessed and evaluated the scene before them. It wasn't long before vehicles for the demo started to show up. Working quickly, the crew of Associated set up their equipment and began the process of cleaning up Center St and making preparations for the building to come down. The scene was charged with a high level of emotions as people found their place to watch. Stories of the building, the business, the residence were being passed back and forth as on lookers stood in awe of the building and what remained. An architect, passing by, asked the Lieutenant to walk down Center St so he could see for himself what had brought this beautiful building down. As he was parting, he turned and thanked the Lieutenant for all the he does. The Chicopee Fire Dept and the surrounding companies all worked hard. Their efforts and bravery surely do not go unnoticed. Thank you to all the firefighters that extended themselves this weekend, and everyday for that matter. Your dedication to the job and the city saved lives and the buildings that occupied the same block. On a more positive note, as was told to me, the Munich House will be open on Tuesday. I think it would be a tremendously generous act if the Munich House was to celebrate the bravery of the those who risked themselves to save the building and the lives that were in it. A beautiful building that once stood, now exists as a beautiful memory.
Early Sunday morning I passed by the scene of Saturday night's fire to do a follow up and to see just how devastating the blaze had been. I was moved by the sight of the burnt out building and the wall left standing. Myself and an amateur photographer stood starring at the structure as we engaged in a dialog about the previous night and the emotions display we both encountered. As I maneuvered around the scene, speaking with Lieutenant Kevin Morney of the Chicopee Fire Dept, he proceeded to tell me that the building was to come down very shortly. The remaining pieces of the building were unsafe, unstable, and "could come down with a sneeze," as one firefighter later stated. Not nearly as many people were present as the previous night, but crowds of spectators came and went, recording snippets of the action on their cell phones. Occasionally someone would appear with a camera in hand, making a snap shot or two of what was transpiring. I decided then, after hearing the Lieutenant tell me the building needed to come down, that I must stay on scene and document it. The moment was disheartening, but the idea of the story compelled me to document it.
As I moved around bearing witness to some last minute hot spot hose downs, emergency officials, city officials, business owners, fire restoration specialists, as well as the crew members of Associated Building Wreckers assessed and evaluated the scene before them. It wasn't long before vehicles for the demo started to show up. Working quickly, the crew of Associated set up their equipment and began the process of cleaning up Center St and making preparations for the building to come down. The scene was charged with a high level of emotions as people found their place to watch. Stories of the building, the business, the residence were being passed back and forth as on lookers stood in awe of the building and what remained. An architect, passing by, asked the Lieutenant to walk down Center St so he could see for himself what had brought this beautiful building down. As he was parting, he turned and thanked the Lieutenant for all the he does. The Chicopee Fire Dept and the surrounding companies all worked hard. Their efforts and bravery surely do not go unnoticed. Thank you to all the firefighters that extended themselves this weekend, and everyday for that matter. Your dedication to the job and the city saved lives and the buildings that occupied the same block. On a more positive note, as was told to me, the Munich House will be open on Tuesday. I think it would be a tremendously generous act if the Munich House was to celebrate the bravery of the those who risked themselves to save the building and the lives that were in it. A beautiful building that once stood, now exists as a beautiful memory.

We extend our thoughts and prayers to both the victims and the business owners in their time of loss. As a business owner myself, I can not fathom the level of emotions that being experienced.

Chicopee: Fire Destroys Apartment Building.

Just a little while ago I returned to my office from the sad scene of a fire taking place in Chicopee, MA. Dozens of people converged in an attempt to view the scene as it unfolded. Cameras in hands, videos being made, people running back and forth looking for "the spot" to watch the devastation take place from, it was a very disheartening. I had already known the media was there to cover it, which means my images most likely wouldnt make the newspaper, like previous fires, but I still went to document the blaze. Here are a few images.

All Photographs are copyright Jeffrey Byrnes and Lenshare. Contact for media usage...Do Not Copy and Paste.

In a conscious effort to really show the depth of the scene, I produce a few panoramas. Shown below.

Photo Essay: Homelessness

Day after day we pass places seen and unseen, never knowing just what is happening on the inside unless we stop to take a look. Often times we are to consumed in our own ways to bother stopping and making the attempt to look. On a very bitter day last week I took my intern to a location that I have visited a few times of the past few years. I have photographed it for the aesthetics of abandonment and for the historic preservation of how it stands today. Over the more recent months the change in seasons brought about a change to the interior of this space. There now exists a new inhabitant; the photographs below are portraits, devoid of a physical appearance of the occupant, but their belongings are what puts them in this space. We found the structure, the consciously built home, with a mattress and blankets placed in the right position so the occupant could place a candle for heat, light, and possible a source of energy to warm a meal. On a daily basis we pass through doors to our homes, doors with locks, barriers that keep the elements out and our homes warm. We do not stop to think twice about the door we walk through, the privilege we have to have a door that locks. Most of us will never know what its like to walk through an entrance of wood, exposed beams charred with scars of flames and heat, passing through debris carelessly tossed aside from a night of partying, or car parts dumped illegally in an attempt to make a haste escape from the scene. Most of us will never know what it is like to fall asleep in a building that stands only as a living testament to the horrific past of a city once steepled in riches now stigmatized with, a history of loss, sadness, and tragedy.