FIRE
http://www.kwqc.com/global/story.asp?s=7906323
Yeah, my apartment building caught on fire yesterday (2/20). Everyone in the building is ok. The fire started in the lower level back apartment - we live in the upmost level front apartment.
However, the "6" people that had to be rescued... yeah, Al and I were part of that. Here's what happened:
I got home from school and going to the hospital to get my patient's info for this week, and Al got up around 1:45 pm. We were laying (lying?) on the couch, when we both heard fire sirens. They kind of sounded like police sirens, and I joked with Al that they were coming to get him. Then, they sounded louder and closer. So we were like "huh, wonder what's going on!" So, we hopped up and ran to our computer room, which faces the parking lot in front of the building. Yeah, the firetruck was parked in front of our building with firemen running INTO our building. About 10 seconds later, some guy from the 2nd floor was banging on the doors on our floor, yelling we had to get out! There was a fire on the first floor!
Note: Our smoke alarms were not going off, nor did Al and I really smell anything until we opened the front door.
Anyway, in the time it took for us to put shoes and jackets on, the hallway between apartments got extremely hazy. We attempted to run down the front set of stairs, but that was a no go... it was completely filled with black smoke. So, we went back to head down the back set of stairs. At first, it was white smoke, but then a column of black smoke came up, so we turned around and went back to our apartments. Al and I ran to the computer room and yelled at the fire people that we were trapped because of the smoke.
The fire people heard us, and we knew it was going to take a second. So, Al ran out to take the plastic off of our balcony door, I grabbed the laptop (yeah, why didn't I put on jeans [I had pj pants on] or grab anything really worth while? I was thinking about how I was still going to have to do stuff for nursing.. lol), and then we heard a banging and glass breaking in our computer room. The fire guys decided to break that window instead of getting us off the balcony.... so while they were doing that, we were like "HEY!!! WE HAVE A BALCONY!!" lol In the end, we had to climb over the balcony railing and head down that way.
Luckily, the fire stayed downstairs in the apartment it started in. I don't know if it was because the fire guys were there so fast or if it was the type of fire, but man. Things could've been a lot worse.
Anyway, Al's picture ended up in the paper - albeit, slightly blurry. We're still in the hotel (Thanks to Red Cross!), and tonight, I get to do a bunch of nursing stuff.
Just wanted to let you all know we're safe!! Not that many would've heard about the fire anyway. Maybe I'll see if I can find a scanner to scan Al's picture in.. hehe
If you watch the video, when you see the Fire Chief talking, the ladder that's behind him goes up to our apartment. That's what we had to climb down!!! Scary! The video shot by the spectator shows all of the black smoke... that's the back of the apartment building. The fire started back there in the very bottom apartment.
Anyway, we're all safe. Just waiting on the OK for us to go back in and stay. Hopefully by Saturday or so!
Some of you may have seen that on Myspace. Just wanted to cross post it incase.
Yeah, my apartment building caught on fire yesterday (2/20). Everyone in the building is ok. The fire started in the lower level back apartment - we live in the upmost level front apartment.
However, the "6" people that had to be rescued... yeah, Al and I were part of that. Here's what happened:
I got home from school and going to the hospital to get my patient's info for this week, and Al got up around 1:45 pm. We were laying (lying?) on the couch, when we both heard fire sirens. They kind of sounded like police sirens, and I joked with Al that they were coming to get him. Then, they sounded louder and closer. So we were like "huh, wonder what's going on!" So, we hopped up and ran to our computer room, which faces the parking lot in front of the building. Yeah, the firetruck was parked in front of our building with firemen running INTO our building. About 10 seconds later, some guy from the 2nd floor was banging on the doors on our floor, yelling we had to get out! There was a fire on the first floor!
Note: Our smoke alarms were not going off, nor did Al and I really smell anything until we opened the front door.
Anyway, in the time it took for us to put shoes and jackets on, the hallway between apartments got extremely hazy. We attempted to run down the front set of stairs, but that was a no go... it was completely filled with black smoke. So, we went back to head down the back set of stairs. At first, it was white smoke, but then a column of black smoke came up, so we turned around and went back to our apartments. Al and I ran to the computer room and yelled at the fire people that we were trapped because of the smoke.
The fire people heard us, and we knew it was going to take a second. So, Al ran out to take the plastic off of our balcony door, I grabbed the laptop (yeah, why didn't I put on jeans [I had pj pants on] or grab anything really worth while? I was thinking about how I was still going to have to do stuff for nursing.. lol), and then we heard a banging and glass breaking in our computer room. The fire guys decided to break that window instead of getting us off the balcony.... so while they were doing that, we were like "HEY!!! WE HAVE A BALCONY!!" lol In the end, we had to climb over the balcony railing and head down that way.
Luckily, the fire stayed downstairs in the apartment it started in. I don't know if it was because the fire guys were there so fast or if it was the type of fire, but man. Things could've been a lot worse.
Anyway, Al's picture ended up in the paper - albeit, slightly blurry. We're still in the hotel (Thanks to Red Cross!), and tonight, I get to do a bunch of nursing stuff.
Just wanted to let you all know we're safe!! Not that many would've heard about the fire anyway. Maybe I'll see if I can find a scanner to scan Al's picture in.. hehe
If you watch the video, when you see the Fire Chief talking, the ladder that's behind him goes up to our apartment. That's what we had to climb down!!! Scary! The video shot by the spectator shows all of the black smoke... that's the back of the apartment building. The fire started back there in the very bottom apartment.
Anyway, we're all safe. Just waiting on the OK for us to go back in and stay. Hopefully by Saturday or so!
Some of you may have seen that on Myspace. Just wanted to cross post it incase.