Google Street View Catches House on Fire

1. JC
   August 10th, 2008 at 1:17 am

   Is it ethic to publish this, along with an address?

2. Miss Cellania
   August 10th, 2008 at 1:48 am

   I'm sure no one lives there now. But you aren't the first to question Google Street View's ethics.

3. PaulVI
   August 10th, 2008 at 12:43 pm

   "9. Turn Right onto ___ St."
   "10. You are at Burning House, Sherwood, AR."

4. Aar000n
   August 10th, 2008 at 6:45 pm

   I thought this was pretty cool. Not just because you get to see a burning house, but because you could move around and get a time lapse of neighbors moving around. Even kids riding bikes, hopping curbs, and all sorts of things. You rarely get to see so many people in neighborhoods on google street view.

   -JC: How is it not ethical to publish it? I'm probably missing something but I can't think of anything.

5. willf
   August 10th, 2008 at 8:24 pm

   That fire hydrant sure seems far away. I followed the hose down the street. Makes me wonder how close our house is to the nearest hydrant.

6. Jim McDosh
   August 10th, 2008 at 8:58 pm

   Wow dude, Google Streetmaps is gcool.

   JT
   http://www.FireMe.To/udi

7. Calvin Gilbert
   August 10th, 2008 at 9:01 pm

   Really cool. I never thought google would catch a house fire on their street view.

8. Lasha
   August 10th, 2008 at 9:09 pm

   Interesting how things like this are going to be documented in the years to come.

9. martin english
   August 10th, 2008 at 9:22 pm

   Just send the link to the insurance company ...

10. ext237
    August 10th, 2008 at 9:28 pm

    Ha, check this out: click down about 2 blocks. Looks like the streetview car drove around a fire department pickup trick and ran over the fire hose. The volunteer fire department guy is flipping them off!

    http://tinyurl.com/555o3s

11. Jason
    August 11th, 2008 at 12:16 am

    It is amazing what Google Street View picks up. Everyone should check their own street and make sure they were not caught doing anything embarrassing! Japan just got street view last week, and I'm nowhere to be found on my Tokyo street:

    http://jasoncollin.org/2008/08/06/walk-down-my-street-tokyo-japan-goog le-maps-street-view/

12. Krazd
    August 11th, 2008 at 12:27 am

    I would think whoever was driving the car would report it to google and have a new picture by now. I wouldn't be surprised if they update the image within a month or two.

13. erichansa
    August 11th, 2008 at 5:40 am

    is it real, i don't believe that.

14. ted
    August 11th, 2008 at 6:08 am

    I thought the hydrant seemed really far away, too. The closest one to me is one house over.

15. PJ
    August 11th, 2008 at 9:43 am

    Explain why you think it's unethical to publish pictures taken from public property. It's public information that there is a house there, and that it was on fire. How is this unethical?

16. cooties
    August 11th, 2008 at 9:52 am

    That looks like a shot from SecondLife. From the smoke to the hydrant to the fact that the emergency servies would even *allow* the car in that vicinity, I think you'll find it's fake. Nice landscaping, too - a single, giant palm tree.

17. Chris
    August 11th, 2008 at 9:58 am

    I am a firefighter in NJ, and i'm wondering why they aren't inside that house. That is a very easily fought fire, and they are standing outside using master streams. I can not see one hoseline into that house. I would not be surprised if that house burned to the ground.

18. Phillip H
    August 11th, 2008 at 10:43 am

    "Is it [ethical] to publish this, along with an address?"

    Sure, why not? If you think burnt out houses are something special, visit Detroit, Michigan. We still have houses that were burnt out in the 70's riots and never rebuilt!

19. Toshalot
    August 11th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    Lawlz... Never never never ever question the ethics of google or you will wake up to men in black suits knocking on your front door at 3 in the morning. I think it is quite funny. I want my house to be on fire on google earth.

20. Winphreak
    August 11th, 2008 at 4:11 pm

    @Cooties, I really hope you're kidding. Secondlife is sharp, but there's no way that's fake.

21. TCooper
    August 11th, 2008 at 6:01 pm

    There is a frame missing right in front of the house. Maybe the Google Orbital Laser Platform (beta) misfired?

    Seriously, I hope no one was home or got hurt.

    Ethical? Not any different than the people standing around with their digital cameras posting photos on other websites or blogs.

22. Manny Ramirez
    August 11th, 2008 at 7:55 pm

    Hope Google don't get sued for this!
    You know that Google has been sued for privacy invasion before, so hope the owners of this house don't want to blame the infrared beam from Google Earth camera!
    Everyone wants money from Google

23. bbbob12345
    August 11th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

    That home was going to be foreclosed on. If I cant have the home nobody can muhahaha... striking match...

24. Mikey
    August 12th, 2008 at 6:16 am

    So what? Wait until streetview of Calcutta is available, you will see people dying along the curbs...

25. Weegee
    August 12th, 2008 at 10:28 pm

    It seems that the specific snapshot shown in this article has been removed. However, the rest are still there, just click the N or S arrows to see them.

26. AdamFFM
    August 13th, 2008 at 1:48 am

    Chris.. are you fricken kidding me? its vented itself through almost the ENTIRETY of the roof... lightweight wood truss can and will fail after 5-10 mins of direct flame exposure.... and you can see flames though the house as well. feel free to go interior on that but im gonna hang back and go defensive. surround and drown, protect the neighbors houses... i love my wife and kids to much to go interior on a home that is a total loss and a deathtrap

27. Shep
    August 13th, 2008 at 9:40 pm

    Go to the frames where the Google car drove up the street where the firetrucks are. What is that about, getting in the way? Like drove right up to the back of one...

28. me
    August 14th, 2008 at 3:03 pm

    funny: just "drive down" the eagle point drive... the pickup-driver even stops to watch the burning house.

29. Nicole
    August 16th, 2008 at 8:33 am

    http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2008/08/13/5163_ntnews.html

    Another Google Street View Frame - Man caught by Google passed out on the side walk.

30. Alexa
    October 8th, 2008 at 1:36 am

    Oh!! very bad luck for the family that this disaster was captured byu big G

31. Dennis
    February 6th, 2009 at 4:08 pm

    As I always say to the unemployed, "Better you than me."

32. Smumdax
    February 6th, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    Went to take a look at it, but most of the images in the vicinity are now "no longer available". I don't understand why Google would remove these, I don't see why this is unethical. The house is burning, should we all just close our eyes?

    It's been said before, Google Maps is just like someone passing by and taking a picture, like most people do...

    If Google Maps' shots of the burning house is unethical, then what do we make of a reporter covering the story, with the fire in the background?

33. Isabelle
    April 5th, 2009 at 4:50 am

    You're all missing the point. A SOMEBODY'S HOUSE WAS DESTROYED. There lives were in that house, precious photos, jewelry, gifts and important documents and you think thats cool?! Thats sick if you think this is great.

    I hate google street view with a passion and someone should not be allowed to take photos of my house, which they have. I wish I had of been there to give those Mofos the finger.

34. christy
    May 29th, 2009 at 9:03 pm

    The street where this happened is not registered on google maps anymore

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