Yes, we did have a fire in our attic. It’s a long story.
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| The attic . . . |
So, first we want to let everyone know that we are all just fine. We know how incredibly fortunate we are, and we are truly grateful. Grateful that Burton kept an eye on the fireplace Tuesday night and got us all out of the house in time, grateful that our security service called in the alarm, and ESPECIALLY grateful to our local fire department for their amazingly quick response. Because of them our home is still standing.
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| Burton & Andrea's bedroom . . . |
Lesson no. 1: Never put unshelled walnuts in the fireplace again.
We had some old, unshelled walnuts in the garage (that the mice were enjoying) and decided to add them to the fire Tuesday night (11/30/10). They burned pretty bright and sparked a conversation about how hot is too hot. Now we know.
Furtunately, Burton decided to stay up and keep and eye on the fire. Around 10:30 p.m. he felt that something just wasn’t right and actually went up into the attic to check for smoke and everything seemed fine - no signs of smoke or fire.
By a little before midnight the fire had burned down to just embers, but Burton still didn’t feel like things were right. So, he checked outside and saw flames coming out of the chimney. He woke everyone in the house. While we all grabbed the pets and got the cars out of the garage, Mom initiated a call to the 911 operator, but before she got to the point of giving them our address, the lights and telephone lines in their room went dead. Thanks again to our security service’s call to the fire department, a fire truck was pulling up in our driveway before we could even complete a 911 call.
Lesson no. 2: Having a security and smoke detection system linked to a security system is a VERY GOOD thing.
According to the fire inspector the walnuts became firey, little, hot-air balloons. After they went up the chimney flu, they settled on a rusted chimney cap, burned through and fell to a fire stop in the chase. As they piled up they caught the wood framing, surrounding the chase, on fire. The fire quickly spread through the attic. The fire chief said we were less than five minutes from the attic being fully engulfed and losing the entire house. We are so GRATEFUL to our local fire department. Once the first responders were able to see the flames shooting from our chimney from a distance and called for backup right away. They had six fire trucks working on our house within twelve minutes.
Lesson no. 3: Just being there for someone in distress is the best gift.
The fire trucks entered our neighborhood silently so they wouldn’t wake up our neighbors. So, only our one closest neighbor, the Dubanskis, had any idea of what was going on. Bob stood beside us all night as we watched the fire crews fight to save our house (and not knowing who would win). Bob’s comforting presence helped us stay calm and positive. THANK YOU BOB!
Lesson no. 4: Our neighborhood really is a village.
The Dubanskis also took us in and put us in warm safe beds for the few hours that were left of the night. This is no small kindness – as you all know we are a big family with six adults and three huge dogs. Thank you Bob and Gertrude!
Each day since the fire we have been comforted by our friends and neighbors. This means so much to us and we thank you! We have also been offered the hospitality of so many of the families in our neighborhood. Thank you for all the wonderful dinners!
The rebuilding process:
The fire damage is limited to the attic. The roof will be re-engineered and rebuilt. Even though there is very little smoke damage inside the house, it smells horrible and everything has to be cleaned and "de-smoked." About 75% of the upstairs drywall and insulation have to be replaced due to water damage and the carpet throughout the house will be replaced. Yeah for the new carpet!!!!
The rebuilding process is expected to take four to six months. Everything has been taken out of the upstairs and sent away for cleaning. The wet carpet is gone and Tuesday the water-damaged drywall is being removed. The construction crew that is contracted to do this phase of the work specializes in fire-damage rehabilitation. They have done an amazing job of blocking the construction area from the rest of the house and protecting our wood and granite. It is amazing what has been accomplished in such a short period of time.
Lesson no. 5: Hotels are really only fun when you are on vacation.
We are staying in a Residence Inn until temporary housing can be secured. We have already looked at a couple potential houses. It gets complicated since we are a big family (with big dogs). We are all grateful for the comfort of our hotel, but anxious to be in a real house. Actually, we all just want to be home. At first we had high hopes that at least some of us could live there. But, as the extent of the damage became apparent, we realized (much to the relief of both the insurance company and the contractors on site) that we can’t live there. So, the search is on.
Actually, if you know of any local, four-bedroom houses (with a secure yard) that are, or might become, available for rent, please let us know.
Lesson no. 6: Molly was right. Blogging about our fire is somewhat cathartic.
Thank you Molly for encouraging me to write and share our experience. There are so many different aspects to the healing process and sharing is definitely one of them. Our main purpose for this blog is so our friends and family can easily access updates on our progress. And, most importantly, so we can let everyone know that WE ARE DOING JUST FINE. We are together, healthy, and happy. The next six months will be a bit of a trial for us, but with the support of our family and friends, we feel confident that we will weather this storm.
