A Scorched and Soot Covered Intersection               -      N      - 
(-------------------------------------------------)     W <---(M)---> E
                                                        -      S      -

The first thing you notice here is that the stone and the whole area is
very hot.  The stone looks so hot that the surface of the walls seems moist,
but you don't want to touch them to see how wet they are.  Metal torch
holders, or that is what they once were, sit in puddles on the ground below
where they once hung.  It seems that whatever caused this was standing on
the western side of the intersction since most of the scorch marks start
clean cut there and trail off down the other three directions.