I thought for a while that yesterday was going to be real Bummer when the Bus went on its normal route UNTIL I arrived at the Shopping Complex and met up with my good friend from the local Fire Brigade.
He came up to me and asked, " Are you busy right now or do you have a few minutes to spare to come for a quick ride and see what's left of the Salt-bush Chapel, I reckon you might just find it an interesting sight."
I took him up on his very kind offer,we went we saw and we spoke to the Fire Investigator who was still combing through the rubble.
The entire building, once a well known and respected kind of half-way house for Homeless men and Incurable Alcoholics, etc, from the late 1940's UNTIL it was taken over first by the Catholic Church as a depot for their donated clothing and other house-hold items in 1963 then bought by the local Evangelical 'Crazies' in 2002 AFTER being left unused since 1987 was a complete WRECK.
The entire roof, 3 of the 4 main walls are gone, NOTHING but charred timbers, burnt and twisted sheets of Corrugated Iron, charred Prayer Books and bibles scattered everywhere and anywhere, the smells of fire, burned timbers, etc, still linger on around it AND the well known and OFTEN suspected House of Ill-repute beside it was still standing complete unscathed.
I asked, discreetly, the Investigator about what, in his opinion, may have caused the lightning to strike JUST that building, his reply almost had me in fits of laughter as he pointed out the twisted shape laying amidst the wreckage.
"This," he said, " In my opinion WAS the root cause, they ERECTED on the very top of the building what was ONCE a STEEL Cross made from 4x4 inch STEEL tubing, it stood, according to Council Records at approx. 3.5 metres in height, was copper coated, presumably to give a 'heavenly glow' and given that the building consisted of 2 floors and an Attic type space in the roof then with NO cabling earthing that metal cross, ONLY the metal bolts holding to the the roof beams through the Corrugated Sheeting roof, then the electrical charge in the lightning would have gone the easiest way it could find, straight into the building coverings, heating them up and setting them alight."
I looked at him and said, " Well, how will that sit Insurance -wise when it comes to the crunch?"
He smiled quite sarcastically for a few seconds and then said, " Insurance, WHAT Insurance, they haven't got any PLUS they've defied local Council Building Regulations by erecting the monstrosity of a Cross, broken Fire Safety Regulations relating to erection of the Cross on the roof of the building AND not having a a cable to carry and electrical charge from a Thunderstorm directly to earth, they WILL copping a HUGE Bill from the both the Council, the Electricity Supply Company, the Fire Brigade and the Police as well, shame Old Huey ( a common local nickname used for the Weather 'God' btw) had such a bad hair day and they copped the end result of his little tantrum."