FIRE!!
I got home from work pretty early last night. I was just chit chatting and watching a little tv. Around 2am there was a loud knock on the door. And I started hearing loud sirens. Usually, and maybe this is a post 9/11 thing, I wait to hear the sirens pass by - which always happens. But not last night.
I went to the front door to see what was going on and all of my neighbors were making their way down the stairs. The smoke was just beginning to fill the hallways. I ran back inside. Threw on my clothes. Woke everybody up. And tried to go back into the hallway to get out. It felt like it had been no more than 3 minutes but the hallways were black. I couldn't even see my hands. And I couldn't breathe. So I went back inside and headed for the fire escape. Opened up the window and started to go down. I realized that I should probably grab one of my "cans of cash". So I hopped back through the window and got the tin can. On my way back out I saw a bunch of yarn that COULD NOT SMELL LIKE SMOKE. So in an instant of clarity I covered the bags with some towels and flew out the window!
We all got to the end of the fire escape only to find that the brilliant landlord/super had painted it one too many times and we couldn't get down from the second story. It was stuck. Can you imagine? It was impossible to pass. Below us were about 6 or 7 fire trucks, a few ambulances, our neighbors, firemen, police officers, camera crews and onlookers. It was crazy and loud and unnerving. Luckily, the fire was on the other side of the building so we were ultimately safe but holy crap! We never had to get out of the building.
We came back up stairs to find our apartment pretty stinky from the smoke. We quickly sealed ourselves in and tried desperately to air it out - using the post 9/11 hepa filters, fans etc. GROSS. It smells like there was a bonfire in here!
I finally got to bed around 5. Only to be up again at 7:30. I have all of my Jo Malone candles burning - I hope they don't start a fire! I have yet to investigate the damage to the building. The fire dept. smashed so many windows to get at it. Already I can see plywood covering some of the broken windows.
But we are all safe and sound. And my yarn doesn't stink!
Maybe for the last 10- years I have thought about apartment insurance like once every month or so. I have quotes in a file. It's super cheap. But for some reason I've never signed up. I guess I shouldn't play with fire and tempt the fates....I'll be getting it tomorrow. The thought of losing all of my stuff for absolutely no good reason is horrifying. Lesson Learned....
Happy Easter.
I went to the front door to see what was going on and all of my neighbors were making their way down the stairs. The smoke was just beginning to fill the hallways. I ran back inside. Threw on my clothes. Woke everybody up. And tried to go back into the hallway to get out. It felt like it had been no more than 3 minutes but the hallways were black. I couldn't even see my hands. And I couldn't breathe. So I went back inside and headed for the fire escape. Opened up the window and started to go down. I realized that I should probably grab one of my "cans of cash". So I hopped back through the window and got the tin can. On my way back out I saw a bunch of yarn that COULD NOT SMELL LIKE SMOKE. So in an instant of clarity I covered the bags with some towels and flew out the window!
We all got to the end of the fire escape only to find that the brilliant landlord/super had painted it one too many times and we couldn't get down from the second story. It was stuck. Can you imagine? It was impossible to pass. Below us were about 6 or 7 fire trucks, a few ambulances, our neighbors, firemen, police officers, camera crews and onlookers. It was crazy and loud and unnerving. Luckily, the fire was on the other side of the building so we were ultimately safe but holy crap! We never had to get out of the building.
We came back up stairs to find our apartment pretty stinky from the smoke. We quickly sealed ourselves in and tried desperately to air it out - using the post 9/11 hepa filters, fans etc. GROSS. It smells like there was a bonfire in here!
I finally got to bed around 5. Only to be up again at 7:30. I have all of my Jo Malone candles burning - I hope they don't start a fire! I have yet to investigate the damage to the building. The fire dept. smashed so many windows to get at it. Already I can see plywood covering some of the broken windows.
But we are all safe and sound. And my yarn doesn't stink!
Maybe for the last 10- years I have thought about apartment insurance like once every month or so. I have quotes in a file. It's super cheap. But for some reason I've never signed up. I guess I shouldn't play with fire and tempt the fates....I'll be getting it tomorrow. The thought of losing all of my stuff for absolutely no good reason is horrifying. Lesson Learned....
Happy Easter.
posted by Heather at 9:18 AM
1 Comments:
Glad to hear that everyone is safe and sound. I lived in Baltimore City for most of my life and seeing what fire can do not only to a house but a community is stunning. I am glad to hear that you are safe and sound and that your family is as well. You will probably have to wash EVERYTHING to get the smell out.
You are correct in getting apartment insurance. You should also keep track of various assets, like your computer and the books you use for designing (not to mention the yarn!) silly as it sounds others may not understand the value of the books or yarn when calculating the replacement cost. Scan receipts and important documents and place on a dvd or flash drive and keep it safe.
Glad to see you back on the net. Very happy to hear you and your family is safe.
Patty
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