Burned-Out Apartments

28 July, 2010

I happened across these apartments, gutted by fire, while out cycling for the hell of it. Naturally I rushed home to grab some gear, came back, and had a look around.

Here's the first look from the outside -- the sight that caught my eye. This is from an alley behind the apartment complex.

Found a burned-out apartment complex.

I found a place to slip in.

Gap between fence and building.

Sagging building frame.

Short outdoor hallway in the middle of the building.

More burned-out building.

The local flora has thrived in the absence of humans.

Beautiful lawn and plants in a courtyard.

Doorway into an apartment.

The first evidence of crackheadery. The metal case is removed from around the top of the lighter so the fuel flow slider can be moved beyond the intended limit, allowing for a higher flame.

A lighter evidently used to smoke crack.

Here begins the gratuitous but obligatory smashing-up of things.

Smashed-up kitchen.

Smashed-up bathroom.

Door off its hinges, leaning against the wall.

A hint of time. Perhaps it was there to see the fire.

A newspaper dated March 16, 2005.

Don't worry -- the smoke detectors will watch over you.

A smoke detector.

This was on the upper level. Did they expect people to scale a brick wall to get in?

Doors used to block windows.

"Well, I always did want a skylight."

A hole burned into the roof.

Found at one of the farther points from the kitchen.

The lover tray or grease trap from an oven.

Further evidence of crackheadery. Or cokeheadery. Or something. Probably crackheadery. People who can buy cocaine don't hang out in dilapidated buildings.

A small, blue baggie, likely used to hold drugs.

Are these clues or coincidence?

Graffiti reading BOMB.

A book titled The Meanings of the Illustrious Qur'an.

A book titled DOA Organizer.

Three words: Creepy.

A child's tricycle underneath the stairs.

Did the fire do that?

A warped pipe wrench.

I give you the nominee for Least Surprising Find of the Year:

A pamphlet about HIV and Aids, and an empty liquor bottle.

Here is the front side, facing away from the apartments. It's a shame they've been left to decay as the grounds are lovely.

View of the street from the front of the complex.

These are possibly the most out-of-place items I found. Though I will likely never try the Hungarian liqueur, one of these now graces a door frame in my house. I left the rest for future explorers (I like to think there will be any).

Copper-colored keychains advertising Zwack Liqueur.

I found some 9mm casings. I expected to find corresponding bloodstains but there was a far less exciting explanation.

Empty bullet casings.

One bullet casing, a 9 millimeter.

A shooting target.

Some things are best left alone.

A cut padlock.

Someone must have lived, or at least slept, here. The floor was strewn with various underwhelming literature and CDs.

A mattress and miscellaneous items.

This is another apartment building, separate from the one that we just saw. It was far too daunting a task to unscrew the boards.

A boarded-up building.

This would be rather dangerous were the power not already cut off at the pole.

Exposed power meter sockets.

It must have taken me twenty minutes to get the screws out of the door on this shed. . . .

A shed.

. . . I hope you're happy.

Nothing in the shed.

Of course, boarding up the front door only makes me more keen to get in. I clambered painfully through a window with a brick ledge and metal frame that had been heating in the hot sun so I could take photos of creepy hallways just for you. You now owe me.

A creepy hallway.

I ventured upstairs but chose not to explore the upper level as the floor was soggy from recent rain and I couldn't verify stability.

Stairs.

A creepy upstairs hallway.

Absolute evidence of crackheadery: A pipe.

A crack pipe.

Gee, it sure is drafty in here.

A sign listing laundry room hours.

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire!
Sorry, had an '80s moment.

Not much wall left on the upper level.

The shed seen in the first photos housed a laundry room. I didn't bother unscrewing the boards on this one as there was a conveniently-placed window.

The fire warped the roof shingles.