(no subject)
Lucky, lucky, I’m so lucky.. Lucky to be alive that is.
It was a normal Sunday evening, we had just had a web chat with the family in England, and I was sitting in my room when the lights flickered for a while before going out. I walked down to the lounge room to find out what had happened; one of the globes in there had blown. My Dad tried to reset the power but it wouldn’t work. So he left it off and tried to change the globe, no go. He called Actew and then a number of emergency electricians, no one would help us at that time of night on a Sunday. He was advised to do something, but at this stage an awful smell had filled the room, and the light fitting had grown extremely hot.
He pulled out the light fitting. Embers and a bit of smoke came out burning the carpet and filling the air. The inside of our roof was on fire.
I called 000. Whilst we waited for the fire brigade to arrive my Dad sprayed the fire with water and swore a lot.
I was so happy to hear their sirens in the distance.
After an hour and a half sitting on the front porch watching them climb in and out of the house, removing bucket loads of burnt/burning material it was all over. Apparently the fire had been going for a few hours as it had burnt a lot of the way through one of the beams in the ceiling. Frightening. We were so lucky it hit when it did, any later we’d have been in bed, the lights wouldn’t have been on and no one would have noticed them going out, and most likely the house would be gone. And so would we. That’s how quickly these things happen.
It really brings you back down to reality and the fragility of everything. I’ve been very complacent, as a child I was obsessively frightened at the possibility of a house fire.. But it’s not worth living in fear. I hope my house doesn’t spontaneously combust again though. It’s not very nice.
But don’t be worried we are all safe and healthy. And we are finally going to get rid of our carpet. I am however covered in mosquito bites - damned itchy things!
It was a normal Sunday evening, we had just had a web chat with the family in England, and I was sitting in my room when the lights flickered for a while before going out. I walked down to the lounge room to find out what had happened; one of the globes in there had blown. My Dad tried to reset the power but it wouldn’t work. So he left it off and tried to change the globe, no go. He called Actew and then a number of emergency electricians, no one would help us at that time of night on a Sunday. He was advised to do something, but at this stage an awful smell had filled the room, and the light fitting had grown extremely hot.
He pulled out the light fitting. Embers and a bit of smoke came out burning the carpet and filling the air. The inside of our roof was on fire.
I called 000. Whilst we waited for the fire brigade to arrive my Dad sprayed the fire with water and swore a lot.
I was so happy to hear their sirens in the distance.
After an hour and a half sitting on the front porch watching them climb in and out of the house, removing bucket loads of burnt/burning material it was all over. Apparently the fire had been going for a few hours as it had burnt a lot of the way through one of the beams in the ceiling. Frightening. We were so lucky it hit when it did, any later we’d have been in bed, the lights wouldn’t have been on and no one would have noticed them going out, and most likely the house would be gone. And so would we. That’s how quickly these things happen.
It really brings you back down to reality and the fragility of everything. I’ve been very complacent, as a child I was obsessively frightened at the possibility of a house fire.. But it’s not worth living in fear. I hope my house doesn’t spontaneously combust again though. It’s not very nice.
But don’t be worried we are all safe and healthy. And we are finally going to get rid of our carpet. I am however covered in mosquito bites - damned itchy things!