Early on the morning of
July 13, 2011, a four-alarm fire broke out at Niagara Lubricants in
Buffalo's Black Rock neighborhood. Propane tanks exploded in huge fireballs and
the skies filled with thick black smoke. As over 100 firefighters fought the
blaze, the fire chief said, “water doesn’t put it out, it just spreads it
around.” The U.S. Air Force brought in foam from Niagara Falls and other trucks
brought foam from the airport. One-by-one, the roofs and floors caved in. Smoke
could be seen from over 50 miles away while black oil began running down the
storm drains. When it was finally over, Niagara Lubricants vowed to rebuild.
The company has been in business for 88 years and employs 35 people.
This is
the photograph I shot of the factory the year before it burnt down. I had cut
it up into a collage with a discarded ancestor photograph. To me, the four men
looked like they might have worked at Niagara Lubricants years ago. They were
dressed up and enjoying “Their Day Off”.
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