Monday, January 13, 2014

My Mobile Home Caught on Fire.

On Saturday the 4th my mobile home caught on fire. I mean like really a whole lot on fire. It was my husbands birthday that day too. Here are some bullet points. Because I know you have questions.

  1. Me and Scott are fine, well if you count breathing in a bunch of toxic burning mobile home parts fine. We have inhalers.
  2. The dog and cat are both fine as well and all the outdoor cats are present and accounted for as well.
  3. Most of our clothing made it intact, as well as most of my books, but we lost nearly everything in the kitchen and part of living room.
  4. Yes, we had insurance.
  5. I don't want to sound like, uh, I am pressuring you here, but if you would like to help out in anyway you may notice that buy my prints button I have... it's the one with the rooster.

Here is what happened. The wood stove which we had JUST CLEANED and replaced the chimney, caught fire and burned to the ground. That ignited the propane tank right beside the trailer, and caught the whole damn thing on fire. Scott used ever portable fire extinguisher we had to you know, try to stop my fiery death trap from claiming all of our shit. I was out taking the dog for a walk when I looked up and saw that my mobile home was a whole more on fire then I remembered it. So I ran all the way back to the house UPHILL tried to turn on our super no freeze yard water spigot thing and it was all like, ha ha lol no water for you sucker.

Of course then I freaked out and panicked because all my shit was still in there. Scott had been able to get out his laptop, three guitars the Internet and Emoticon (the cat) before all hell broke loose.

Let me tell you something right here right now.

When there is a fire, you will forget everything you have ever learned about fire safety. Everything. All of it.

The first thing I did upon realizing getting water was super not going to happen at all ever was freak out that my shit was in that burning metal rectangle. So I dove back into the front door to be met by a rolling wave of heat and then I felt it hit my face and I panicked and inhaled and grabbed my phone and ran out again. Like you do.

Of course then I ran back around the building to where the fire was because I realized that if it didn't want to lose everything I was going to have to do SOMETHING. At this point I realized two things, one the propane tank was setting my wall on fire, and two one of my windows was melting. So in a fit is desperation I ran back around to the front of the house and grabbed a snow shovel. And then I proceeded to shovel snow on to a BURNING PROPANE TANK that was surrounded by other propane tanks.

I figured if I was going to die I was going to go with my computers.

At some point I heard sirens and then the firefighters pulled up and asked them to “please help me save all my shit.” Then they went into my house and did fireman things while I stood in the yard with the one guy who didn't have on of those mask things on. He asked how the fire started. I told him. I told him that I had tried to keep it contained by shoveling snow on to the propane tank. Then he gave me a look. Then I told him “like you wouldn't have.” Then he nodded and then we both stared at my burning shit. Then I told him I needed a hug. We hugged.

Because sometimes you just need a goddamned hug.

Then the ambulances arrived and I got to go on my first ambulance ride because it hurt to breath air. I mean like really a lot hurt. From the hospital I managed to contact my aunt to come get my pets and then she came and got us and took us to her house and fed us soup and whiskey and I decided to nominate her for sainthood.

When I got back to the place we had a nice 12 foot long hole in the wall where out kitchen/living room was. So now we are taking out what was left and preparing to tear down the trailer and put in a small cabin to live in while the house is being built.

I am very tired as I have been going balls to the wall to you know, have a place to live again that is not my aunt's spare bedroom. Luckily almost all of out clothing and books were okay, but most of my electronics look like they have been through a smoker and we lost a lot of artwork and plates and bullshit like that. Oh and the microwave melted.

It's more of a Salvidor Dali microwave now. 

10 comments:

  1. Oh, damn, that's horrible news. Happy that you all made it out ok, though. In the long run, that's all that matters.

    (fingers to temples, beams happy thoughts your way)

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  2. Oh, Holly!!!!! I'm so sorry to hear. Yanno, sorry doesn't really cut it. Shit balls, Holly, it sucks shit balls and I'm glad you, Scott & your fur friends got out and are safe. I'm sending virtual hugs and good thoughts your way.

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  3. YIKES, Holly! That sucks!

    I'm coming up on the 2 year anniversary of when our barn burned to the ground. ( same day as my son's birthday.) I know all too well how hectic the upcoming time will be for you. It really does suck. You should know, the farther you get away from this event, the more it will mean, when you say, thank goodness nobody was hurt, and it was only stuff that got destroyed.

    Thinking about you guys, through this.

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  4. I'm glad everyone is OK. I'm also impressed that your town has nice firemen who give hugs when needed!

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  5. Oh crap. I missed this because I have been away from the internet. Glad you are okay yourselves, the rest is just stuff, but of course it still sucks. Hope your February is going better and you get a chance to update soon.
    Oh, and snow on a flaming propane thing? That's, like, cartoon logic. You're brave as fuck, and quite mad.

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  6. Holly, where are we at? Everyone ok?

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  7. I echo Dog's sentiments. I've been thinking about you and hoping/wishing that all is okay (as okay as it can be).

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  8. Holy shit. I fell off the face of the earth and I missed this when it happened. I'm so glad you and Scott and the critters made it out alright. I'm so sorry it happened, sending all the good juju vibes I can y'alls way.

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  9. I haven't been keeping up with my favorite bloggers for the past while. Today I was thinking about how I hadn't seen anything from you since I got back to my blog so I went looking for you. All I can say is I'm grateful that all the living things in your home were okay. I hope to see you around the internet again, but I get how life can sometimes snow you under.

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  10. Okay, I'm finally back in the blogosphere and decided to check in with some of my faves, and you're like... GONE! I get it. It's been two years, but I have no idea how much time it would take to recover. Hope all is well. I've only posted twice in the past two months/years, but if you see this and can comment on one of my posts, I'd love to know if you plan to return.

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