Fire, Fire

Except it wasn't.

I had a lovely relaxing morning, chatting with expat friends, blippers and bloggers, over a very leisurely breakfast, where the German inability to be efficient or to provide any semblance of customer service came in for a fair old beating and we were distracted only slightly by the arrival of a week old baby whose father then managed to leave behind the mother's bag (the mother clearly didn't forget it, it had been behind the father's chair and therefore must have been his responsibility and anyway everyone knows that a new mother is so sleep deprived she's lucky if she can remember her name let alone her belongings)

Jas was due to finish school at 12:30, as a nice, thoughtful mother I turned up to collect her and couldn't get into the road because there was a fire engine blocking the corner. It didn't seem in a hurry to be going anywhere so I drove round and parked a little way away and walked back.

It soon became clear that something was amiss.

There wasn't just one fire engine, oh no. There were six, at least, the full size ones each with their full complement of firemen, in uniform. And a couple of mini fire engines, and a police car or two. High drama for little Kettwig.

The length of the (one way) road in front of the gymnasium was blocked with emergency vehicles, the windows of the school were full of children.

It was a gas leak apparently (which explains why I saw two firemen equiping themselves with breathing apparatus) on the road that adjoins that in front of the school (which I guess is why they didn't evacuate the school).

I was all for going back and getting a closer look* once I'd collected Jas but she wouldn't let me, "it's a gas leak mom!" She clearly has a higher regard for her personal safety than I do! Bad mommy!

* and more photos!