The Fire of 2009!

Well, I had other things I was going to write about this weekend.....but last night trumps it all.

I was sitting on the living room couch, checking email....Wubbzy was on tv. Something caught my eye - I looked up to see an orange glow flickering off the wall in my dining room. I ran into the dining room to see fire....a BIG fire! I had a stand in the corner where I kept all my cookbooks, pens, address book, odds and end stuff. All of this was on fire. I tried to get it out by smothering it with a towel.....but it was too big and spreading fast.

I grabbed Zander and the phone and yelled at Anakin to follow me. I called 911 and Iwould hate to hear that call right now because I know I was hysterical begging them to hurry up - as if they take their time when someone says their house is on fire.

While I was still on the phone with them black smoke was quickly taking over the house. Zander, Anakin and I were out on the back porch - just waiting. I called for the cats but they had scattered. I would not leave Zander to go get them - besides, you always hear thats how people die anyway....they go back in.

Not even one minute went by when I had hung up the phone that an officer came running through the front door of my house with a flash light.....yelling to see if anyone was left in the house. I yelled back from the back porch that we were outside - except for the cats. He told us to stay put. He then took a fire extinguisher and put out the fire - before the fire dept. even got there.

Then a female cop came around the side of my house and told me to follow her. She put me and Zander in her car to stay warm. At this point, I knew everything and everyone was okay. I sat in the back of her car and clung to Zander. I was crying...but trying to reassure him that everything was okay.

I had to answer a bunch of questions of course.....and surprisingly.....the most difficult ones were about Zander's dad. What was his SS#? What is his phone#? Finally, I was just like - look, um, we don't really talk that much, he isn't a citizen so he doesn't have a SS# and I don't know his phone # off the top of my head. This seemed to satisfy this cop and he walked away. The cop in the front seat of the car said "I'm really sorry about that....he's new and really doesn't know what the hell he's doing." I have no idea why, but that really made me laugh. From then on out he kept talking to me - I assume he was trying to make me feel better so I would stop crying in the back of his car. He told me how this fire was really no big deal....he didn't think much damage was done...it hadn't gotten to the attic. He said when he and his brother were little they almost burned down their whole house.

I told him I knew we were lucky, it could have been much worse. I had always heard that almost every kid does something to almost burn the house down once....I just wasn't planning on it being right now.

He asked what insurance company I had and when I told him he said I would be set - I'd be able to fix it better than what it was before. I certainly hope he's right.

The fire chief came over then and said I could go back in the house. He showed me the damage...but like the officer, said I was pretty lucky....it probably wouldn't take much to fix it. It had started with the toaster. I usually leave it unplugged because Zander is prone to turning it on. Well, I either didn't remember to unplug it or Zander plugged it up. He must have turned it on and I had something sitting to close to it.

They kept asking me if I was burning a candle, but I wasn't. I had a candle on the shelf above the toaster...so it did burn eventually, but I didn't light it. I don't really light candles too much anymore....there is too much danger with 2 long haired curious cats and a curious 2 year old.

I thanked them all profusely. They saved my house....and my cats. It really is amazing how fast a fire can take over. The things on fire were so hot they were exploding and popping out of the fire.....and starting other little fires.

During this whole thing, Zander was clinging to me. He didn't cry at all....I think he was in shock. He just clung to me. I held him tight and kept telling him mommy loves him and we're all okay - everything is fine.

After everyone left I set Zander down and went looking for the cats. The doors were all open an I wanted to make sure they didn't get out. They were huddled under my bed - safe.

I went to assess the damage. It was hard to see because it was dark outside....and now everything in my dining room, living room and kitchen were black. Every ceiling in my house was white.....now the kitchen, dining room and living room ceilings are black. The lights in the living room and kitchen were covered with soot....so hardly any light was coming from them.

I had to sweep up all the soot off the dining room floor as the animals and I were tracking it around.

Anakin...whom I had left in the backyard during all of this....hopped his little butt back in the house when the fireman opened the back door. I'm sure he was all up in their koolaid as they were trying to work. Anyway, my little white dog....is now black!

My orange cat.....is now black!


My black cat....well, he's still black!


Now, I'm worried about Zander. He was totally not himself afterwards. He didn't talk. He would cling to me. He would walk into the dining room and look at the damage and cry. Poor little guy. This whole episode really shook him up!

Well, I guess it shook both of us up. I just kept telling him it was over.....we're all okay....I love him....he's fine.

Now I need to call my insurance guy -and hopefully he can get someone out here today for their report because I want to start right away on getting this cleaned and fixed.

In the meantime, I'm moving my brood to my parent's house. I've been coughing all morning and its just dirty here. I don't think its healthy for us to keep breathing all this soot in. So....off we go!