My Apartment Caught Fire & I Almost Lost Everything Including My Life……
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011READ THE FULL ENTRY IN MY MEMBERS AREA
Around 3pm yesterday I was sitting in my office doing my normal daily routine, working, cleaning etc. I was sitting at my desk and I hear my smoke alarm go off. I’m like WTF?! I open my bedroom door and thick black smoke was filling up my living room. I ran to the kitchen and there was smoke everywhere. My dad was cooking lunch and a grease fire started. The fire went up the wall to the ceiling. But before it could make it’s way my dad grabbed a wet mop and put it out. If he hadn’t I think there would be much more damage. And there was a lot. He tried cutting off the burners but the knobs melted right off. He burnt his fingers in the process, got a big blister and had some smoke inhalation as well.
He put a box fan in the kitchen window and black smoke poured out my apartment window. We started throwing up all the windows to let the smoke escape. The smoke was getting too bad. I was starting to cough bad it was getting in my lungs, my nose, ears eyes and mouth. I had to make a decision. Grab what I could right quick. We had seconds to throw up the rest of the windows, grab my macbook, purse and phone. I had to leave everything behind. Which hurt me. I worked hard for what I DO have.
I had no doubt in my mind if we stayed and tried to fight it we would have died of smoke inhalation. I said Dad get the leashes on the dogs while I get my laptop. We gotta abandon it. We gotta go NOW! Every second was an eternity. We finally got out the front door and ran from the 3rd floor to the 1st and outside. I looked up and all I could see was smoke pouring out of all of my windows in my apartment.
Everyone in my building had to be evacuated. All this right after hurricane Irene. Which we narrowly escaped luckily. Now this.
The kitchen reached 110 degrees in a matter of 3 to 5 minutes. If that. That quick he fire started and went up the wall. My kitchen is destroyed, my oven is gone. I lost clothes because the soot won’t wash out. My new mixer I used once is full of black soot. I will probably need to get another. Cleaning, painting, replacing & repairing will go on for weeks if not months. I had to wash everything. My kitchen ceiling and wall is tore down because the firemen had to make sure there was no fire that spread to the walls. A lot of stuff melted from the heat. Everything in my apt is covered in soot. Been cleaning and cleaning and I feel like I’m getting nowhere.
My first fire and hopefully my last. If not for the wet mop, the fire department coming on time I’m sure the damage would have been even worse. My place stinks like burnt wood. Like a campfire or bbq.
Due to Irene there’s a backlog with appliances being delivered. So I wouldn’ t get my new oven until Monday. But since Monday is Labor Day I won’t get it til Tuesday.
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