i feel very shaken
so my apartment caught on fire today, a grease fire. the whole thing was weird. but basically the grease was taking a really long time to heat up so i started doing other things to fill the time. then out of the corner of my eyes i saw orange flashes against my cream walls and thought "i know that's not a fire" it was. it was really big. at first i was like really calm. when i realized i had no baking powder to throw on it, i tried to turn the fire off, but the flames were too big so i figured i didn't wanna risk that type of damage to my arm. i realized i was gonna have to call the fire department. i wish i had remebered there was a fire extinguisher right outside of my door, but i didn't. i grabbed my laptop because that's what i use to do my work & i knew i water damage would be an issue so i couldn't afford to miss any days of work or pay for a new laptop. i wasn't fully dressed so i ran back into my room to throw on some clothes. all my shoes were in the closet in the front.
the 911 operator was telling me i needed to run past the fire and out of my apartment. i kept telling her "i can't." she was like "ma'am, you HAVE to run out of your apartment". i was like "i can't"...i was ready to climb down my balcony, because breaking bones in my body seemed a LOT less scary than running through flames. like i have never seen a fire like that that close up. even when i have been at bonfires, it's different, because the flames are not like that...finally the sprinklers kicked in which initially of course made the flames shoot up even higher because water & grease don't mix...for some reason i just watched it because i wanted to make sure it went out before i left my apartment. it was probably out in less than 45 seconds. but those tiny sprinklers pour out GALLONS of water very rapidly. i got soaked. i stood outside of my apartment shivering and soaking wet, with no socks on. at some point the water in my apartment was like 3 feet high. the fire alarms were going off all over the building. people evacuated their apartments. they asked if i was ok. the fire department came. they checked out the damage, turned the power and water off.
the building managers came. no sympathy from them, they just were assessing damage and telling me to contact my renter's insurance.
then me & the maintenance man moved all the furniture that fit outside on my patio, and moved the rest into the 1 dry corner...that, & packing up all the wet clothes i had took hours.
the company that vacuums up the water came, and then they cut up the carpet. i was told i had to leave, and that they would try to get my unit fixed as soon as possible.
the fire damage could be a lot worse. the stove seems still functional. my microwave is completely melted. the cabinet above it is charred, and the ceiling is too. the refrigerator is burnt on the side. but i think that's it. i think they came quick enough to avoid very much water damage aside from my shoes.
the unit beneath me got completely soaked, too. i feel bad. i was thinking of slipping a note under the door of apology. but i dunno...
i feel really dumb. i feel super grateful that i'm alive, that i'm healthy, that i have a job, that i wasn't hurt, that my apartment is getting fixed, that i am able to spend the night at chrisy's & that willie was willing to put me up, that i don't have that much property damage...
but i also feel really emotional...i'm not exactly sure what emotion but i just feel like crying...like i dunno...i feel like i want comfort but there is no one to offer me any?
i dunno, i keep crying off and on, but it's not like i'm really sad. like i'm totally glad i'm ok. like truly grateful. thank god i live in a place with automatic sprinklers cuz if not...this story would have ended VERY differently. i might not have been around to tell it. i mean that. i really am grateful. i'm not just saying that. but i dunno i just keep crying. i feel overwhelmed. i have all these clothes to wash before they get moldy. i dunno how im gonna replace my shoes. i have a quiz to study for tomorrow. i dunno when i'll be able to go back to my apartment. i feel like this really deep thing just happened to me and there's no one around me to care.
the 911 operator was telling me i needed to run past the fire and out of my apartment. i kept telling her "i can't." she was like "ma'am, you HAVE to run out of your apartment". i was like "i can't"...i was ready to climb down my balcony, because breaking bones in my body seemed a LOT less scary than running through flames. like i have never seen a fire like that that close up. even when i have been at bonfires, it's different, because the flames are not like that...finally the sprinklers kicked in which initially of course made the flames shoot up even higher because water & grease don't mix...for some reason i just watched it because i wanted to make sure it went out before i left my apartment. it was probably out in less than 45 seconds. but those tiny sprinklers pour out GALLONS of water very rapidly. i got soaked. i stood outside of my apartment shivering and soaking wet, with no socks on. at some point the water in my apartment was like 3 feet high. the fire alarms were going off all over the building. people evacuated their apartments. they asked if i was ok. the fire department came. they checked out the damage, turned the power and water off.
the building managers came. no sympathy from them, they just were assessing damage and telling me to contact my renter's insurance.
then me & the maintenance man moved all the furniture that fit outside on my patio, and moved the rest into the 1 dry corner...that, & packing up all the wet clothes i had took hours.
the company that vacuums up the water came, and then they cut up the carpet. i was told i had to leave, and that they would try to get my unit fixed as soon as possible.
the fire damage could be a lot worse. the stove seems still functional. my microwave is completely melted. the cabinet above it is charred, and the ceiling is too. the refrigerator is burnt on the side. but i think that's it. i think they came quick enough to avoid very much water damage aside from my shoes.
the unit beneath me got completely soaked, too. i feel bad. i was thinking of slipping a note under the door of apology. but i dunno...
i feel really dumb. i feel super grateful that i'm alive, that i'm healthy, that i have a job, that i wasn't hurt, that my apartment is getting fixed, that i am able to spend the night at chrisy's & that willie was willing to put me up, that i don't have that much property damage...
but i also feel really emotional...i'm not exactly sure what emotion but i just feel like crying...like i dunno...i feel like i want comfort but there is no one to offer me any?
i dunno, i keep crying off and on, but it's not like i'm really sad. like i'm totally glad i'm ok. like truly grateful. thank god i live in a place with automatic sprinklers cuz if not...this story would have ended VERY differently. i might not have been around to tell it. i mean that. i really am grateful. i'm not just saying that. but i dunno i just keep crying. i feel overwhelmed. i have all these clothes to wash before they get moldy. i dunno how im gonna replace my shoes. i have a quiz to study for tomorrow. i dunno when i'll be able to go back to my apartment. i feel like this really deep thing just happened to me and there's no one around me to care.