The electrical box in the adjacent apartment building exploded and started a fire. The whole commotion had half of Killarney’s inquisitive residents on the street, some in shock and some in awe.

My first instinct was to grab my camera and get a slice of the action - fires have always been a compelling subject matter to me, purely because of the action surrounding it. You have the flames, the heat, the danger. Then you have the firefighters, gearing up, running around, doing all sorts of stuff. And lastly you have the spectators, which are always interesting to watch and to photograph, like these twins, walking past the Killarney fire:

More pictures can be found on my Killarney Fire flickr set, and here is the Animoto version of the event:

Produced using Animoto, the really cool, funky, awesome, bestest automated multimedia production tool, try it if you haven’t yet!

Yesterday’s 94.7 Cycle Challenge was an awesome experience!

My favourite part of the route was racing through Johannesburg’s CBD, I wish I could cycle that route more often

The race was amazingly organized, congratulations and thanks to the event organizers and road-side supporters!

Here are the first pics of the preparation and the race. More pictures to be added during the next 48 hours.

I’m ready to tackle the flat wide tarmac of the M1, brace myself for the corners of the Jo’burg CBD, conquer the long stretching ascends and descends of Jan Smuts Avenue, and finally engage with the taxing cross-winds on the M14 freeway.

But, what is even more motivating, is that I will be riding this years’ Pick ‘n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge for a good cause. My close friend Donald and I have raised funds over the last couple of months to aid the awareness and treatment of Epilepsy in South Africa.

On 16 November 1993, Donald’s cousin, Sheldon Ashen died of Status Epilepticus, at the young age of 7. For those who don’t know what it is, it is the harshest form of epileptic attack, which shuts down oxygen supply to your brain. The insult is so severe that the outcome is often fatal.

Seeing that the race takes place on 16 November, the 15th anniversary of Donny’s cousin’s death, we thought it would be fitting to cycle in his memory, where as the donated funds will go towards the Epileptic clinic run at The Johannesburg General Hospital.

Wish us luck on race-day and feel free to contact me if you’d like to help or donate to this cause.