Monday 13 March 2017

Smoke and Fire.

It's funny how things happen. I've always said that I'm a strong believer in fate and what will be will be. Every night I go to bed and hope that we all wake in the morning, we continue to be happy and healthy and get through the day. A couple of weeks ago I was reminded to love life and be grateful for everything. It sounds a cliche but it did make me wake up and smell the coffee.


It was a very normal day on Thursday 2nd March 2017. Nothing remarkable or anything outstanding, a normal day. My husband was working in London. It was world book day at school for Alfie.  He was going as 'The Smartest Giant in Town' and I'd typically left things until last minute and wasn't very organised. Elarna was, well just being Elarna. The  food shopping was booked for delivery later in the day and I was feeling quite relaxed as I'd done alot of cleaning the day before and the house was looking pretty tidy and clean. I didn't have much planned and was looking forward to that prospect. It was going to be a quiet and fairly mundane day. How wrong was I..........






I've been missing some paperwork since starting my new job and it's been bugging me as I knew I'd seen it before Christmas, I was sure it was in the study. I'd been putting off trying to find it as the study was a complete and utter tip. It's fair to say my husband isn't the tidiest, although according to him it's organised mess but in my eyes it was like a tornado had happened. Anyway, on a whim I decided that I should probably try and find this bloody paperwork so thought I'd have a look through the study to see if I could track it down. Guess what......I didn't find it. While in the study,  for some reason I thought it would be a great idea to hoover the floor as it was grim. It's ironic really that usually I just tend to shut the door and forget about the mess.  Like I said, it's my husbands domain and on principal I very rarely go in there but good god it did need a tidy. I decided to whip the hoover around quickly while I had some time, after all it would only take a few minutes. Elarna had been pottering around the room with me and while I was hoovering she found a couple of toys to keep herself entertained. I finished in the room and shut the door, seeing as I was upstairs I thought I may as well vacuum the rest of the rooms........perhaps I should have just not hoovered at all. 


This happened. 



The smoke alarm went off. It's pretty loud and I heard it over the hoover. Weird I thought, why the hell is the damn smoke alarm going off. Shit......I could see smoke, but where from? I turn the smoke alarm off, quickly open the windows but yet more smoke.......where the hell is it coming from, oh and the smell. The smell is going to stay with me for a long time. Just writing about this is actually making me feel funny, I've kind of pushed it to the back of mind so reliving it isn't fun. The smoke alarm was still going off and yet more smoke. At this point *realisation dawned*....... fire. Shit. I looked towards the study and saw plumes of black smoke coming from the sides of the door. I felt a bit sick. Elarna was now crying alot and the smoke alarm seemed so loud, *beep beep beep beep beep beep* it just kept beeping. Good thing it worked really....... Stupidly, I opened the study door, the handle wasn't hot........ within a split second of opening the door, about 30 centimetres and I saw flames, actual flames. I felt heat. I smelt smoke, again the smell is going to stay with me for quite some time. The flames were about a foot high, red and orange angrily flickering at me, not quite roaring but enough to make my heart pound and slam the door and run. Elarna was still crying and I could feel panic rising, I grabbed Elarna, my phone and legged it as fast I could out the house picking up (rather randomly) my house keys on the way out. I was shaking like a leaf, I remember feeling petrified and trying to dial 999 but I was shaking so much that my fingers wouldn't work. After a couple attempts of trying I took a deep breath and  gave myself a kick up the arse to calm down and breathe and called 999. 




It's all a bit of a blur, I know I was panicking and the guy on the end of the phone was great and did try and keep me calm but seeing plumes of black smoke coming through the windows really did make me stress. The fire engine seemed to take forever to arrive and I suspect realistically it was less than 10 minutes but it felt like hours. Plus my arm was killing me from where I was carrying Elarna, she' a right lump now! I remember the call handler asking me if I could see flames or smoke, I could only see smoke but it was so black and kept coming, I was thinking this is really bad, f*ck. He kept asking me about if we had any pets, oh god the cats I couldn't remember where I'd seen them last, I was fairly sure that they were out but I couldn't be sure, then there was the hamster but she was downstairs so should be ok........then my neighbour turned up and actually I was relieved to have someone with me while waiting for the firemen. After finishing my call with the guy on the phone I remember ringing Adi and pretty much yelling down the phone that there was a fire and he needed to come home, I rang my parents and my in - laws to come, they were literally down the road. The next few minutes were a blur, 2 fire engines raced around the corner with about 8 firemen on then, all rather nice guys I may add! As soon as they got here they jumped into action and I can't recall much apart from sitting in the back of a fire engine with Elarna shivering and some very friendly fire men chatting to me, asking me what I thought started the fire and if I wanted an ambulance or some oxygen (which I didn't!). 

I was trying to rack  my brains as to what had happened. It's weird, you go over things again and again and again and try to recall what you did and what it could have been. I thought I knew. My husband has been doing alot or DIY recently, he's been busy doing our en suite up and as such there are a few tools left around. As he's generally the only one that goes into the study he'd left his heat gun in there, I remember seeing it on the floor and thinking why has he left that there and I moved it out the way while hoovering, Elarna was also in that area from what I remember. So what I THINK happened, and I can't be sure and I guess never will be but it's 1 of 2 things. I either caught the on button with the hoover or Elarna switched it on without me noticing. There are valuable lessons to be learned!! 1/ don't leave dangerous items around! 2/ be  more aware of what I'm doing and what my child is doing! 3/ Possibly more important, check your smoke alarms!!!! If I hadn't been alerted to smoke via the alarms things could have been so much worse.  I was also told by the firemen that I had done exactly the right thing by shutting the door and getting out the property, if I hadn't have shut the door things would have been a hell of a lot worse. There is noone to blame or point the finger, just a series of unfortunate events.



On entering back in the house after the fire had been put out the stench of smoke knocked me for 6. Wow, nothing can prepare you for that, the whole house was literally consumed with this cloying, acrid smell, horrible. It gets to the back of your throat, it makes you feel thirsty, like you've smoked about 50 fags. Disgusting. Then you have to comprehend the damage. The firemen had obviously prepared me for the state of the room and I don't think the photos do it justice. Everything is ruined. It's not necessarily what has been burnt.....it's the smoke damage that's the sod, that and water damage. We were lucky not to have anything more burnt completely, other than a teddy bear (RIP Biggles) and sadly Elarna's 1st sleepsuit, which I'm trying not to dwell on (luckily her little hat was ok and Alfie's was just sooty and I have managed to wash both so they are fine now) but pretty much everything that was in the room has an element of damage and is having to be disposed of. The important things I have managed to safe and I'm so pleased are the kids birth certificates, red books and Alfie's recent school achievements and certificates (phew). 




It's funny, lots of people have said it's only stuff and it can be replaced. Yes, yes it can but that still doesn't help feeling a little bit of sadness at seeing my beloved books that I've collected over the years being skipped, or family games that come out at Christmas all with warped boxes and coated in a layer of smoke damage. The new printer that we haven't had that long gone, my mint green Ted Baker shopping bag trashed and all my years of uni work stinky and singed. Photos have been salvaged but they will long have the scent of smoke on them, a stark reminder of what's happened. The baby car seat, the baby chair and playmat that were being stored in there, gone. Tons of dvd's and mounds of paperwork.....gone. So yes, it can all be replaced but it's still OUR stuff that we are having to bin. It doesn't feel great.  It's not just a case of dusting it off, the smell remains in the stuff and actually it's really hard to get rid of soot mixed with water. I managed to clean up all the kids certificates but they seem to still have a film over them, yuck.





Never did like the old owners curtains!


The room is empty now. It's nearly 2 weeks since it happened and we have had to live with the acrid smell for several days while we've waited for insurance company to do what they've had to do. We've also had a huge dehumidifier going that has been super noisy and also just made the whole house feel really dry and changing the smell  of the smoke, if that makes any sense? Probably not but it felt weird in the house for several days after. We've got no curtains in several areas of the house now as they've been taken to be cleaned and the carpet is filthy from the big, black boots of the firemen as they raced around the house throwing windows open.  There are scuff marks everywhere and none of the upstairs looks great, all the walls need repainting and the carpet needs replacing, the whole study needs washing down and redoing. It's a huge job and I'm hoping it's going to get down fairly quickly. The room was emptied on Friday and everything was written down on an inventory so we can claim for the contents. I'm not going to lie, I'll be pleased to get new curtains, I bloody hated the ones that were in there. We also have to get the electrics in the room looked at and the window which has warped. I'm really hoping once this is done the smell will go and we can move on because at the moment it's all a really unpleasant reminder of what happened and how much worse it could have been.
Tomorrow is a new day. We are trying not to dwell on it because it's happened and that's life, it sometimes deals you a curveball. It has taught us to be much more aware of things and also check for hazards and dangers!

So if this post does one thing and one thing only, I implore,  if you have smoke detectors, check them. Check them now and make sure they work because if ours weren't working I dread to think of how much worse it could have been.

33 comments:

  1. Oh gosh! How terrifying for you! I'm so glad no one was hurt.
    We actually checked our smoke alarms last week...They are so important.
    Sending love and hugs x

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  2. Just awful for you all Helen.
    What must go through your mind in a blur at a time like that. We do check our detectors on 1st of every month cos you just never know.

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  3. Hon I had shivers and wanted to cry reading this as it's just one of my worst nightmares. You were lucky it wasnt worse which is good but even then it is so horrible and all of your things that are gone and all the work you have to do to make your house feel like home again. It would be easy to blame yourself and think you what you could have done differently but you've suffered enough so don't do that, we all do stupid things all the time and most of the wine are lucky enough to get away with it. Hope it gets sorted soon lovely, massive hugs! Xxx

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  4. Oh sweetie, sending you and your family big hugs. Firstly well done for reacting so quick and getting you and Elarna out of the house and closing the door as you left. & well done for checking your smoke alarm, I'm going to test mine now.

    Next up sorry to hear that so many things were damaged and not replaceable. I just can't imagine. I sometimes joke to Ben (when I leave candles lit) that it would be great if our house burnt down (so we can re-build our dream house). I will never make that joke again. I forgot about all the lovely memories it holds.

    There is a silver lining in everything, new curtains for example, haha. Hopefully once the damage is repaired, the office will become a more shared space and not your husbands messy den :o) x #bestandworst - hopefully more of the best x

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  5. This must of been terrible glad nobody was hurt and you are getting back to normal thanks for hosting #bestandworst

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  6. Oh no you poor thing. How terrifying! I'm glad you're all OK but sorry about your things, it's just awful #bestandworst (or just worst!)

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  7. What an awful experience but you really did do all the right things. I'm sure you are in the worst bit now and when you have your house back as you want it you will look back and I'm sure see you have learned so much from the whole experience, not least about coping and managing together. #Best&Worst

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  8. Oh lovely, this is just awful. You poor thing. I would be terrified and despite having fire marshal training a couple of times, I don't think I'd know what to do. #bestandworst

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  9. Oh my goodness that is scary!! I am so glad everyone was okay!!!! #bestandworst

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  10. Omg, this is so terrifying. I can't imagine how scared you must have been, but well done for your quick thinking about getting out of the house and phoning the fire brigade as quick as you could. I hope the redecorating doesn't take too long #bestandworst

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  11. Oh my gosh! So glad you're all okay. Sending love and hugs and tea #bestandworst

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  12. I'm so glad that all of you are safe and unharmed. I can't image how you must all be feeling, they were just things but they were your things and that must be so hard to deal with. I hope you are soon sorted xx #bestandworst

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  13. Oh god Helen this ia awful. Thank god you're all ok xxx

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  14. Holy shit! I can not imagine what this felt like. So glad that everyone was unharmed.

    #runjumpscrap

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  15. Oh my gosh what a scary thing! Fires terrify me. I'm so glad you're all safe.

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  16. I feel awful for you. Yes, they are only things, but they were YOUR things. Like everyone else, I'm glad that everyone was OK and that you were home when it happened and able to catch it quickly #bestandworst

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  17. What a relief you are all ok! At least you are all safe even if your possessions are a little scorched :( . #bestandworst

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  18. Gosh how horrible I'm glad that you both got out safely and we're ok. I like on your comment about not liking the previous owners curtains making a positive out of an awful situation, Chloe #BestandWorst

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  19. This week all the data on my husband's phone got wiped and we lost some of our first baby pictures that we took at the hospital. I know it doesn't compare to the ordeal you weng through but I feel you when you talk about your baby stuff that was lost or damaged. It's hard to let those things go. But it's our little ones that matter and we do have our memories with us forever. Hopefully everything will get sorted out and renovated to look better than ever. #bestandworst

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  20. Oh no, that's awful, it must have been terrifying. Thank god you were both ok, like you say, it could have been so much worse. A good lesson for us all. I hope it all gets sorted out quickly for you x
    #Bestandworst

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  21. Oh Helen, my heart broke for you when I saw this on Facebook and reading this I had goosebumps just imagining how terrifying it was, but also how much worse it could have been if you didn't have smoke alarms. Thank god nobody was hurt and yes things can be physically replaced but sentimental things, cannot. I'm so sorry that you've had to go through this, a huge lesson to us all to be more careful and most of all CHECK OUR SMOKE ALARMS!! #bestandworst

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  22. oh I'm sorry for you:( that's really sad when you loosing something you've collected so many years
    #bestandworst

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  23. I felt really choked reading this hun. I'm so glad you are all ok. How scary and remember to take each day as it comes. You will feel better xx #bestandworst x

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  24. Oh god how scary. I would have been terrified. I'm glad that you're all ok and that no one was hurt. Thanks for linking up to #ThatFridayLinky

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  25. oh my, I was almost in a panic reading this, it's one of my worst fears. We've never had a fire but I've lived in two houses where the next door neighbours have had rather big fires and it was terrifying even being next door (especially the one in the middle of the night) and I know all about the smell and smoke damage. You need to dwell on the fact that no-one was hurt, and I hope you get it all cleaned up and sorted real soon xx
    #thatfridaylinky

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  26. Sorry to read that this has happened. I'm glad that nobody was hurt. #bestandworst

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  27. Oh my goodness, how awful. I had no idea you had gone through this. Thank goodness you both got out okay. What a relief. I hope you are all okay - I'm assuming the cats were ok too? #bestandworst

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  28. Oh my goodness this is so scary! I am so happy no one injured and i am going to put in new batteries in our smoke alarms now and maybe buy a few more! #bestandworst

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  29. Oh lovely, how awful! What a scary experience to go through. I'm so glad you and the little one were ok and more damage wasnt done in your house. It sounds like an awful lot of damage and like you said it cant be easy seeing lots of your things from over the years gone, but it definitely could have been a lot worse. I hope your insurance compant are good to you and it all gets sorted for you quickly. Thanks for sharing this with us on #MarvMondays. Emily x

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  30. What a horrible experience for all of you. It fills me with dread to think of a fire happening. So pleased you are all ok

    Mainy

    #bestandworst

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  31. Oh my goodness I'm so glad you're all OK. I can relate to this as we had a fire while 'looking after' my mum and dad's house once - and it's a thatch. It still makes me feel sick just thinking about it #bestandworst

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  32. Thanks for linking to the #THAT FRIDAY LINKY come back next week please

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  33. I'm so sorry you had to go through this, how horrible. I'm so glad you are all ok. Thank you for sharing as we should all be aware how easily a fire can start and you may have helped prevent this happening to someone else. #bestandworst

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