The Smiley Smile Message Board

OK, i don't know if anyone will have the answers for these, but i'll try anyways. I've always wondered what the real deal was with the whole 'building burning to the ground' during the Fire sessions.
-Was it a warehouse building, as Brian says?
-Where exactly was it located?
-WHAT caused the fire?
-Did it actually burn completely to the ground?
-Did the fire occur during the same time of day as the Fire sessions?
-Did Brian and his gang actually see it, or did they just hear about it?

Also, and i'm probably wrong here, but does Van Dyke insinuate in Beautiful Dreamer that the whole thing might have been a joke, but at Brian's expense? That line always confuses me.

I always understood VDP's quote in the doc as being more about those around Brian not taking his spiraling mental condition seriously, indulging his erratic behaviour and sort of generally treating it as a joke. I don't think he was insinuating that anyone was playing a practical joke on Brian involving the fire incident. I haven't seen it in a while - what was the quote exactly?

VDP: "It was like, 'this is so much fun'. & i was watching the guy in crisis, & i knew that if this was a joke it was at someone's expense, & who's expense was it, but Brian's."

This segment is played right after Brian describes his paranoia about the building burning down.