Just after 9pm last night, the smoke detectors went off in my house. They are linked together throughout the house, so when one goes off, they all go off. I’m used to this drill when a battery needs to be replaced or too often when I’m cooking, so assuming it was a battery issue, my husband and I proceeded to move from room to room pressing buttons to locate the failing unit.
Since my 3-year old has a cold, I had put him to bed in my room and decided I better check to make sure he wasn’t scared from all the noise. He was sitting up in bed and when I walked in, he simply ordered me to “make that loud beeping stop, mommy!” As soon as I turned on the light, I discovered that the room was filled with swirls of smoke. (I hadn’t noticed the smell of smoke since I, too, have a cold.)
I yelled for my husband to come in and we dashed around looking for the source of the smoke, but couldn’t see where it was coming from. My husband ran down the hall to get my 16-year old stepson, who hadn’t even bothered to peek out from his room to see what was going on, and I had him take my 3-year old outside while we called 911. In the meantime, I ran around the house rounding up the two cats, grabbed my purse and cell phone, and headed outside.
About five minutes later, several fire engines arrived and the firefighters went to work upstairs while we stood at the bottom of our driveway in pajamas wondering if our house was burning down. At one point, a couple of the firefighters came outside to check the roof and side of the house. They reported that they couldn’t yet tell where the smoke was coming from, but it definitely smelled like it was an electrical fire. They were using heat sensing cameras to check the walls, ceiling and various areas of the master bedroom, attic and surrounding rooms.
After a long 45 minutes, they finally found the source. The television set in our bedroom, which had been left on the music channel for my son, had basically fried up. I had no idea that something like this could happen.
Lessons from the fire:
* Like I’m assuming most people do, I had previously thought about what I would grab in the event of a fire. I thought about photos, my computer and a few favorite possessions. None of those things even occurred to me. All I cared about was the kids and the animals.
* I think of myself as being someone who handles pressure really well, but the truth is, I completely freaked out. I couldn’t think. Life lessons kicked in—evacuate, call 911—but that was about it. I was completely overwhelmed by the thought that my house was about to burn down!
* Neither of the kids reacted to the alarm. The 16-year old should have known better, but like us, he assumed it was a false alarm and just kept on playing on his computer. However, it had been going off for at least five minutes before my husband went to get him. This presented an important opportunity for a conversation about what to do if this ever happens again. I had the same conversation with my 3-year old, though it’s hard to tell how much he really understood. He was never scared and just thought it was cool to have fire engines in the front yard and enjoyed getting high-fives from the fire fighters!
* I don’t know how we could have avoided the television melt-down. It’s a large, traditional tube television and is at least ten years old, but by no means an ancient model. Who knew that something like that could happen and create so much smoke?
* We were warned by the firefighters to get rid of ALL extension cords. They said they’ve seen a lot of tragedy due to cords. We didn’t have one on the t.v., though we did have one behind the bed with two lamps and a clock radio. They recommended removing all extension cords and replacing them with power strips.
* All those public service ads about having an evacuation plan make a lot more sense now. I can’t begin to imagine how we would have managed had there been actual flames involved. We will be creating a plan immediately and will be educating the kids repeatedly until the plan is second nature for all of us.
We were very fortunate. Nobody was hurt and the only evidence of what happened last night is a big empty shelf where the t.v. once sat and a lingering smell of burned plastic. I am so grateful for these lessons and that everyone is okay.
Now, go hug your family, replace your extension cords and create your own evacuation plan!
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
December 16th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Much like Sue Peppers (a friend), I am impressed by your no-nonsense candor in describing your recent house fire experience. I hope this piece goes far beyond Facebook and Blog; it could make a far greater impact than the dry, dreary and often sanitized warnings we read and hear. Big point: if you use power strips, make them the kind with built-in overload or surge protection. There are “power strips” in name only, that are no more than gang-plugs with an on-off switch; handy, but without practical safeguards.
December 16th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Hi Catherine,
Thanks very much for your note and for pointing out that there is a difference in the quality of power strips! You raise a valid and important point–much appreciated!
March 25th, 2010 at 12:22 am
oh no that was too close Stephanie. Good Lord, all of you were safe. Power strips are yes a good replacement to your cords, I’ve been using it for years already. – Logan Gardner from Cali