The way that I discovered the historic Tudor House Pub in Esquimalt had burned down was when I awoke at 6 a.m. and found an e-mail from a reader who had sent us several photos and a video.
Further investigation revealed that many people had sent us overnight messages about the fire and many included photos.
Of course, by the time I had seen all this, Times Colonist reporter Sarah Petrescu already had our first version of the story posted on timescolonist.com.
There was discussion and condolences on Twitter and Facebook by the time I had finished brushing my teeth. The fire began sometime around 2 a.m. and there was already widespread public reaction before most of us were awake.
The notion of public involvement in the telling of a news story isn't new. But the speed with which it happens has increased exponentially in the past 15 years and has been embraced by readers when they see news happen.
Sometimes, we put the call out for information through our website and social media. What was remarkable about Tuesday morning is that so many of you came to us to help tell this story.
The proof of what a good job you did is here:
http://www.timescolonist.com/gallery-tudor-house-pub-fire-1.541160
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