• New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.

Had an in-teresting day

VprHis

Get off my lawn, you hooligans!
So I'm in the lab, doing my labby things, when the phone rings. It's my wife.
Telling me to come pick her up at work right now (I have her car 'cause mine's in the shop). I ask if something's the matter, and she tells me that one of her coworkers had just told her that he saw smoke coming out of our apartment building.





We got home to find no fewer than eight fire trucks and two ambulances pulled up to the building. No external damage visible, but the air definitely smelled of fire. Apparently the oven had an electrical fault in the apartment one floor up and across the hall from ours. She never even uses the thing... doesn't cook a lick. The poor lady's apt was pretty much melted down to slag, and her 16 year old cat hid under the bed and died (of smoke inhalation, apparently... so it could have been worse, but still very sad).

We were informed when we arrived that no one could go into the building, all the doors had been kicked in, and all the animals had been rescued and moved into the lounge at the leasing office. We went in to check on our cats... and they weren't there. Since all the doors were wide open, we were worried they'd run off... They wouldn't let me go in to the apartment to look for them, so I stood around hoping to see one peek out a window. Eventually one of the staff went in to look for them, and when they saw someone they recognized, they both came out of the closet where they'd been hiding and we got them back.

Long story short.... er, well... less long than it could be. I'm back inside now, with two very smoky cats, in my smoky apartment with no door (man they really did a number on it--Fire Axe to the lock/latch then kicked it in... took most of the frame and a good bit of drywall with it) feeling very lucky that things weren't much worse.

Now I need to go buy some firemen (and women) a round when they get off duty. Well... as soon as I get a door, so I can leave the apartment unguarded.</pause>
 
Man, that makes for a heck of a story. Glad to hear that your place is unharmed (for the most part). We have 2 cats as well, and have often discussed what they would do in case of fire. (I'm convinced they would both die.)
 
Upvote 0
Wow. I'm glad that you and yours are all ok.

That was always one of my biggest fears when I lived in an apartment- that someone else's carelessness or stupidity would ruin my place and all of my stuff (not to mention possibly my life...).

I was glad to get into a house, where any fires or other problems are because of my own carelessness or stupidity.... :biggrin:
 
Upvote 0
Yeah, lucky in every respect.

The cats are still very freaked out. One has been following me from room to room, and the other checks in every 5 minutes or so to make sure I haven't abandoned him. They both smell like they've been playing near a campfire for a week. It can't have been fun for them.

Sense of normality is slowly returning, and I've improvised a theft deterrent system for the door. Here's how it works. I leaned my crappy acoustic guitar against the door in such a way that it will be very noisy if anyone tries to open it. Then I run in with a baseball bat and start bashing whoever tried to get in. Everyone around here knows I'm considerably bigger than they are, so I think it'll be effective.

Thanks all for the kind words... I have spent the last couple hours taking pics of everything I own, and letting people use my camera to do the same... That way if I ever do need the insurance... I'll have a record of what needs replaced. I usually throw the pics on a couple CD's and send one to my parents' house, and one to my sister's. Might be a good idea for anyone else to do the same?
 
Upvote 0
That's the one thing I always worried about with apartment living. Your one crackhead lighting a candle away, from your building being burnt down.

It sucks having your life in someone elses hands, kind of like flying on planes.
 
Upvote 0
Thump said:
That's the one thing I always worried about with apartment living. Your one crackhead lighting a candle away, from your building being burnt down.

It sucks having your life in someone elses hands, kind of like flying on planes.
Maybe you shouldn't fly with airlines that employ crackheads as pilots.
 
Upvote 0
VprHis said:
Thanks all for the kind words... I have spent the last couple hours taking pics of everything I own, and letting people use my camera to do the same... That way if I ever do need the insurance... I'll have a record of what needs replaced. I usually throw the pics on a couple CD's and send one to my parents' house, and one to my sister's. Might be a good idea for anyone else to do the same?

fyi, you're supposed to do that BEFORE the fire :wink2:
 
Upvote 0
Back
Top