Kids safely evacuated when fire erupts in Dorchester daycare

By adamg - 12/14/10 - 5:59 pm

The Boston Fire Department reports a short circuit sparked a two-alarm fire that heavily damaged a daycare center and home at 18 Boyden St. this morning.

The department reports ten children and two adults were safely evacuated after the fire erupted around 10 a.m. One firefighter suffered a bruised hand battling the blaze, which extended from the basement to the roof before it was extinguished.

Comments

You don't mean the people

By anon (not verified) - 12/14/10 - 7:48 pm

#1

You don't mean the people were evacuated. The building was evacuated. See dictionary or episode of the Wire for confirmation.

I have no reason to doubt you, but I did what you suggested

By adamg - 12/14/10 - 8:13 pm

#2

Although we have dictionaries out the wazoo here at the Hub Cave (and not just in English, either), looking the word up in any of them would require me to actually get up and I'm too tired, so, I went to Merriam-Webster online, where I found this definition, which has four examples of how people can be evacuated, including:

During World War II, children were evacuated from London to the country.

Not trying to be a dick, but...

By anon (not verified) - 12/15/10 - 9:16 am

#3

I've got the hard copy of a Merriam-Webster here.

Evacuate:
1. to remove the contents of: EMPTY
2. to discharge from the body as waste: VOID
3. to remoce something (as gas or water) from esp. by pumping
4: to remove esp. from a military zone or dangerous area
[...] c: VACATE: (were ordered to vacate the building)

You can evacuate the building --clear it of people. Or, you can evacuate the people --suck the waste out of them. I think we'd al rather evacuate the building. Though, it's a really common mistake.

You're doing a pretty good job of it, though... ;-)

By merlinmurph - 12/15/10 - 10:10 am

#4

Being a dick, that is. (sorry, couldn't resist)

Apparently, those are the definitions when used as a transitive verb. There is a whole other set of definitions when used an an intransitive verb.

From merriam-webster.com:

intransitive verb
1: to withdraw from a place in an organized way especially for protection
2: to pass urine or feces from the body
— evac·u·a·tive \-?w?-tiv, -??-\ adjective
See evacuate defined for English-language learners »
Examples of EVACUATE
People who live along the coast are being evacuated as the hurricane approaches.
During World War II, children were evacuated from London to the country.
Residents were ordered to evacuate the building.
Residents have been ordered to evacuate.

Edit: And I got D's in English.... ;-)

preposition issue?

By John-W - 12/15/10 - 10:34 am

#5

So as written it is ambiguous (to Chauncey Gardner types) whether the children were removed in an orderly fashion from the daycare center or whether they were given a purgative when the daycare went up in flames. So maybe "Kids safely evacuated FROM Dorchester daycare center when fire erupts" would have been the correcter way to said it.

(Who knows, if I was in a flaming day care center I might just evacuate as well.)

what a dick --I should have been clearer

By anon (not verified) - 12/15/10 - 1:14 pm

#6

You got it, John-W!

The children were evacuated FROM the daycare.

Unless they really were sucked dry of waste.

And, well, I didn't get "D"s in English. But I DID get "D"s in math and French and... regular attendance. So no one's perfect.

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