What do you do when the news comes to you?

I spent last week in the Caribbean with my wife and another couple. Normally, the first day back from vacation is spent going through 900-plus e-mails, getting caught up on problems and accomplishments from the past week, and generally just getting your feet on the ground. That's what I did from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. today.

But then, things changed.

We came out of the daily news budget meeting today to hear the scanner report a fire at the back of The Daily Times.

About a half-dozen news staffers headed down the back stairwell to check things out. I grabbed a fire extinguisher along the way.

I half-expected to see a smoldering fire beneath the pallets that were stacked on a loading dock, but was shocked to see flames climbing up the side of the building, melting away the siding and sending black smoke billowing into the sky.

I pulled the pin out of the fire extinguisher, aimed and fired a blast of fire retardant at the base of the pallets. Comptroller Danny Williamson was standing at the loading dock above me, doing the same. His extinguisher ran out and I handed mine up to him, believing that he had a better angle; however, the extinguishers were no match for the fire, which was growing by the second. Fortunately, Maryville Fire Department trucks were now arriving on the scene.

Fire Chief Ed Mitchell and crew did an outstanding job controlling the blaze and saving our press. It was a testament to their professionalism, and we owe them a debt of gratitude.