Spirits were er, heated when this long-abandoned and reputedly haunted former Navy hospital in Oakland gave up the ghost to a mysterious fiery blaze.

Alameda Made

The blocky proto-Brutalist building at the corner of Mariner Square Drive and Marina Village Parkway in Alameda, CA has a long and checkered history dating back to the early 1940s. Those were troubling times for America: the winds of war were swirling and the nation’s gaze was firmly fixed upon developments in the Far East.

Handling the Tooth

Other developments – of a more material nature – were springing up in the country’s far west, such as the brand new Naval Air Station (NAS) Alameda. Today’s featured structure opened as a 150,000 square foot, three story tall, state-of-the-art hospital and dental clinic serving the burgeoning population of sailors, support workers and their dependents.

Building Up for Victory

As the Second World War progressed, NAS Alameda’s medical building evolved away from its clinical roots. The facility’s storage and distribution functions expanded while hands-on patient treatment shrank to the point where by sometime in the mid-1970s, activity revolved around the warehousing, distribution and administration of medical supplies.

End of a Naval Air-a

A name change was in the offing as well, with the complex officially being dubbed the “Navy FISC Administration Building”. That lasted until April 25th, 1997 when NAS Alameda was closed in accordance with BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) procedures ordered by Congress and the DOD. In the case of NAS Alameda, the closure part went just fine – realignment, not so much.

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Naval Glazing Haunted Abandoned Alameda Hospital

Best known for his vivid geometric murals full of fantastical animals, which brighten up everything from derelict churches to fleets of freighters, street artist Okuda San Miguel has crafted a massive 3D sculptural centerpiece for the annual Fallas celebration in Valencia, Spain. The 100-foot-tall cardboard sculpture stood for just four days before it was ritualistically burned, along with the rest of the art created for the festival, in a celebration of ephemeral human achievements.

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The festival, honoring Saint Joseph, sees three million visitors descend upon a city of one million to dance, celebrate the beginning of Spring, drink sangria in the streets and watch a bunch of things burn. Among the sculptural ‘sacrifices’ are traditionally a series of giant ‘ninots’ (puppets or dolls) including satirical figures. This year, it was Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. Just before midnight on ‘La Crema,’ the last day of the festival, the crowds begin changing and the streetlights are turned off before fireworks explode and everything is set ablaze.

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Asked by El Periodico before the festival whether he was ready to see the piece burn, Okuda said, “No I’m not. I think I’m going to have a sentimental craze, because it’s the most amazing piece I’ve done in 3D and I’m freaking out with every piece that comes out. I’m going to cry. With the cool thing that we have built, I’m sure I will not understand very well that it’s going to burn, but I think the millions of people who are around this and who have such a strong feeling will make me understand.”

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“This is one of the great traditional festivals of Spain because, to start, it’s art, it’s not just bulls running and I do not know what. Fallas are constructions that artisans make for a year and with a history of more than a century. I find it incredible.”

The “Duck Factory”, a century-old abandoned warehouse in Cleveland’s Little Italy home to hundreds of toy rubber ducks, has finally kicked the bucket.

Urbex explorers – not to mention Sesame Street’s Ernie – have suffered a grievous blow with the sudden loss of the former Woodhill Supply, Inc. warehouse in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood. Not that the east-side eyesore was on an irresistible descent into decay and deterioration, mind you: real estate developer Visconsi Companies, Ltd. had already received approval to tear down the old warehouse and replace it with 200 luxury apartments.

Unchained Mallardy

A devastating fire early on Sunday, September 27th of 2015 put the first part of that plan on the fast track – the smoldering remains of the brick building located at the corner of East 120th Street and Coltman Avenue were demolished later on that very afternoon. The origin of the blaze is yet to be determined but authorities suspect (ahem) fowl play.

Ducks Redux

Though it may be gone, Cleveland’s “Duck Factory” lives on thanks to the relative permanence of physical and virtual media; not to mention the efforts of uncounted urbex explorers who have documented the otherwise unremarkable icon for many years.

By “otherwise unremarkable”, we mean that without those signature rubber ducks this abandoned factory would be forgotten as easily as any number of other rotting relics of the American rust belt.

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Quacked Up Clevelands Legendary Duck Factory

Well known for its high-tech aspirations as well as architectural exuberance, the city of Dubai has begun ordering jetpacks for use by emergency services personnel in combating elevated blazes in its tall mixed-use towers.

Dubai Civil Defence is making the move in response to fires like the one that recently took place in its unfortunately-named Torch Tower, the world’s tallest residential building when it was completed.

The Martin Aircraft Company is adapting its existing models of commercial jetpacks to better suit the needs of flying firefighters. A standing platform will be added between the propeller engines, to allow pilots to let go of the controls (engaging a default hover mode) and move around more freely, as well as carry equipment.

“Dubai is leading the world in high-rises, and sometimes we have challenges or difficulties reaching those buildings,” Dubai’s Civil Defence chief Ali Hassan Almutawa told the Khaleej Times.

“Sometimes we also find it difficult to communicate with people in those high-rises, especially when people are panicking from windows or balconies. With the jetpack we can go there and communicate physically with them and give them instructions.” Authorities in Dubai aim to secure and deploy their new array of flying machines by early next year.

A multistory fire raged up the side of this 1,105-foot skyscraper last night, one of the tallest in Dubai, exacerbated by high winds and casting molten glass and charred masonry from the so-called Torch tower down to the ground below. A few people were treated on the scene for minor injuries and smoke inhalation but no serious casualties have been reported.

The blaze appears to have begun around the 50th floor at 2 AM local time before progressing up the side of the building and ultimately igniting other parts of the facade thanks to windswept debris – arson is not suspected at this time. Remarkably, firefighters managed to catch the fire relatively quickly and put out the inferno in a matter of hours despite unfavorable conditions.

Fire engulfs one of Dubai’s highest residential towers #TorchTower pic.twitter.com/OyFVC78w85

— Asma (@LibyanBentBladi) February 21, 2015

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— ????? ??? (@Humanfirst_) February 21, 2015

Home to over 600 residential units, occupants of the Marina Torch are being temporarily relocated  by its building managers (Kingfield Owner Association Management Services) while damage is assessed. At this time it is not certain when, how or even whether the structure will be restored.

Marina’s #TorchTower after the fire http://t.co/zfY0CsRYvC pic.twitter.com/Bpk1INSNAa

— Gulf News (@gulf_news) February 21, 2015

Salute to heroes @DCDDubai @DubaiPoliceHQ @DCAS_Ambulance for getting everyone out safe #TorchTower #DubaiMarina pic.twitter.com/6SblKogXs9

— megha merani (@dxbmaven) February 21, 2015

While not unheard of historically, skyscraper fires (especially serious ones) are quite rare today, particularly in developed nations where strict building codes and appropriate material usage helps mitigate their risk. Generally they are caused either during construction or due to significant external factors, such as plane crashes (intentional but also accidental) or earthquakes. Images via the AP, EPA, Reuters and WikiMedia.