The Darien Fire Department has always been interesting for me. My dad was a member of the fire department and rescue squad for many years. I remember going on fire calls with him or just hanging out down at the station when I was a kid. Today, when I hear a call for the Darien Fire Department, I grab my camera and go!

Everyone that asks me about this photo has one question: "How did you get inside the house while it was burning?" Actually, I am not inside the house. While I would love to do a photo from inside a burning house looking out, I don't think the fire department would let me!

This was a barn fire just outside Darien. By the time I arrived at the location, the fire was mostly done. I have found that most of the time, photos taken before or after an event make a better photo than photographing the event itself. In this situation, the fire was out but the firefighters went inside the barn to put more water on the still hot materials. They came up to the window and it framed them so well. The side lighting was coming through the window and the smoke was still rising up from the floor. I knew it was the photo I wanted.