Saturday, February 2, 2013

Saturday Snapshot

So...January 31 turned out to be one of the scariest days of my life. 

That is my house
It was 10:45 and I was about to go to bed when I heard my neighbors making a ton of noise and then come banging on my door screaming "get out get out there is a fire."  I live in a condo with a tiny backyard and on the other side of our fence is a barn/shed/pool house thing that was apparently engulfed in flames.  I wanted to rip pictures off the walls but my neighbor was screaming so I just ran out the door my husband was working so I was alone and then I realized how bad it was when I realized how much smoke was in the air and ran back and grabbed my cat.  Freaking out that I had no where to keep her and worried she would run away I ran back inside and got my car keys and threw her in there and called my husband and realized I didn't know if anyone had tried to put it out so I (like an idiot) ran back inside carrying my fire extinguisher from the garage and my back door was glowing.  And yet (again like an idiot) I threw open the curtains and opened the glass door to realize the entire barn/shed/pool house thing was on fire and I ran...and hyperventilated...and ran.

What used to be a fence and a pool house.
I drove my car down the street to park out of the way.  Luckily I had flip flops in the car because I was barefoot and I had my phone in my pocket.  So I called...my mommy of course.  And that's when I lost all my composure because I thought my house was gone.  The fire trucks weren't there yet but all the neighbors were out safe and I heard a crash and the fire exploded and I was certain the tree in our yard had caught and we were about to lose all our possessions. 

Soap left from the fire hose, on the left is my fence on the right is the burned one.
And then our amazing small town volunteer firefighters (of which our neighbor is one) arrived and saved our houses.  They ran hoses through our houses and put out the fire.  They got there so fast.  A few more minutes and it would have hit our homes.  The home attached to mine has a window that shattered from the heat and the paint on the back of our building is all bubbled (which I'm told happens when it is close to bursting into flames) and I just can't believe how lucky we were.  Everyone is safe.

I am so incredibly grateful to all the firefighters.  Thank you so much.  I think I am still a bit in shock over the whole thing but I know how lucky we all were.  My neighbor firefighter spent most of the time we were freaking out staying calm and using my garden hose to keep our homes wet and cool and he may have saved our homes.  

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce from At Home with Books.

Photos can be old or new as long as they aren't random photos you found online.

12 comments:

Sim Carter said...

Oh my God! You had me on the edge of my seat. I feel like I went with you to the gates of hell; what a terrifying experience which you told like a master storyteller. Thankfully - with a little help from your FF you are all right after your very very close call. WOW!

Vicki said...

Thank God you and your neighbors are ok and so is your building!! Hopefully there was no one inside the place that was on fire. We live next to a state forest and a few years ago it was on fire. It didn't come as close to us as this one did to you, but it was so close we were evacuated. Our house smelled like smoke for a few weeks, but luckily nothing caught on fire. I do know how you felt, it's a very scary thing to go through.
Here's My SS

Ali said...

How scary! Three cheers for the firefighters for coming to the rescue in time.

Ginx Craft said...

Really scary. I'm glad your house was ok, and no one was hurt.

Brona said...

OMG!! How scary - my heart is racing for you. I'm glad it all turned out well in the end for you. Phew!

Jenny said...

How scary! I'm glad everything turned out okay, but what a frightening experience!

Anonymous said...

So glad you got out and that the fire was stopped. Sorry to hear about others' property being destroyed. Scary, nonetheless.

Shari Green said...

Ohmygosh! Scary! I'm so glad everyone is safe and that your homes are okay. (That first pic with all the sparks and everything is very striking--freaky, but striking!)

Susan Lindquist said...

Holy smokes! No pun intended ... this is just a hair-raising experience for all concenred! I am so glad your homes were minimally damaged! Thanks goodness for brave and competent firefighters, huh ?!?
Gosh, I hope your life gets back to normal quickly and that your neighbors are all okay!

Alyce said...

Wow, that is so scary! I am very glad that you got out safely and that everyone's houses and possessions were safe too.

Elizabeth said...

Very frightening...a fire is one of the most dreaded things I can think of.

Glad you and everyone are safe.

Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My Saturday Snapshot

Leslie (Under My Apple Tree) said...

That was scary just reading about it! The first photo is pretty self-explanatory. So glad everything turned out ok for you.