Last night I was on my way to take our pumpkin out to the front porch when TC said, "Ahhh, honey? I don't think you're going to like this very much."
Just then I noticed a weird red light flashing through the window. In that instant I connected the weird red light with the sounds of sirens outside.
He was right. I didn't like it at all.
"Oh, God. Is my house on fire and I don't know it?" That was my first thought.
But no. The fire truck was not directly in front of our house. I popped my head out the door to see. It was the neighbor's house.
I hate fire. Hate it. Ever since I was little I've had a ridiculous fear of a house fire. When I was in elementary school I went so far as to having my mom buy me a fire extinguisher to keep next to my bed. It really complimented my Laura Ashley decor. Ahem.
Where were we? Yes, the fire.
We live in the down town area of our little city. Our street is residential but the house at the end, which is one house away, is an insurance company's office. I'm going to go ahead and assume they have pretty good coverage for fire damage.
I'm not sure of the details, but it caught on fire last night. It was after business hours, so no one was hurt. Don't quote me on this, but from what I could tell the fire appeared to be in the back of the house on the top floor.
The fire department was there in no time flat. Tons of fire trucks rolled in, a couple of ambulances and several SUVs.
Even the big ladder truck came out.
Once it became obvious that there was no one inside, I went from being anxious and worried to feeling like a six year old who is obsessed with fire trucks and fire fighters. I've never really seen real fire man in action this close before.
Have you ever seen a ladder up close? It's huge. And really, really long.
I'm not sure how well I would do standing on top of a burning house, in a gas mask, with a chainsaw running in my hands. There is probably a reason I'm not a firefighter.
Considering that everyone is fine and the house received reparable damage, I feel that it is okay to bring this story back around to me and my irrational fears.
Here it is - I left the coffee pot on all day today.
I knew it as soon as I got to work but I couldn't do a damn thing about it all day.
I could just imagine the firefighters shaking their collective heads as they pulled down our street for the second time in 24 hours.
Fortunately, it rained most of the day so my nerves weren't completely shot. We all know that fires can't start in the rain. Duh.
Thank goodness no one was hurt and that the house suffered only minor damage. Still, it's an unfortunate incident. Not only did it cost the residents financially, it also places emotional trauma on them, seeing the place where you should feel most secure is compromised. I wonder how the family coped after the incident. Do you know what caused the fire?
ReplyDeleteAbel Holmes