Fire and explosions. What fun...

We had some excitement around here last night. DH and I were watching TV late and we heard a soft Boom. Then we heard another BOOM...BOOM!!! We went outside and we saw there was a fire two houses from us. It looked like it was on a major road that runs near us. As we are watching, we keep hearing these BOOMs.

Okay, so what goes boom? If it's the highway, could be a car or truck. Gas tanks go BOOM and so do tires. Every time we heard the explosions, the fire would flame VERY hot and shoot straight up but then die down. This went on for several minutes. More than a dozen explosions.

DH and I decide that we should get some clothes together in case whatever it is is toxic and we have to leave the house. I went inside and got some things in a bag and went back outside. FINALLY, we hear sirens. (DH had called 911 earlier and was told crews were on their way.) Then we can see the fire trucks shooting water onto the fire and after about 20 minutes, the flames were put out.

We saw some people on the street behind us run toward the fire to see what was happening. When the first explosions occurred, they screamed and ran the other way. It was kind of comical.

Nothing on the TV could tell us what had happened so I waited until this morning and checked the internet.

A woman driving her motorhome with her dog was carrying 20 oxygen tanks and the vehicle cought fire. She and her dog got out and were not hurt. THAT was what we heard BOOMing. The news said the tanks would explode and shoot across the highway hitting various other items in their path, including the soundwall.

Talk about too much fun! DH didn't get to bed until 1:30am and had to get up at 5:30am.

How was your night? Kwanjin

Absolutely nothing happened here last night Kwanjin. I fell asleep in the recliner,the cat jumped on my stomach and woke me up, I changed into sweats and went to bed.Even my sweatsuit is a boring gray color. How's that for an exciting Sunday night!
Lucille

Another kitty lover! Yea! Good to know you're out there.

Real life excitement! great fun when it's Not you and No one was hurt. My life's too boring...you're having all the fun.

It wasn't fun while it was happening! LOL Give me a boring life with DH, family, cats, plants, books, movies and video games. No more BOOM!

Boring is good, altho boring.
I haven't had explosions but hadthe police come once. To tell me some woman accused me a stealing a necklace from her house while a play group was there, several moms and assorted kids. All he could do was talk to me. Sometime later, she actually came and confessed she found it in her daughter's closet. She must be pretty good to come fess up, talk about feeling dumb.

Wow! I wonder how the motorhome caught fire in the first place? Must have been that dog smoking a cigarette. They never can get their paws all the way out the window. Never trust a smoking dog.

I can't imagine how embarrassed that woman must have been when she found the necklace in her daughter's closet. I wonder what the DD's punishment was? I would have made the DD come and fess up!!

Here's my little story about fires....I hope no one minds....

A few years ago I was running the sweeper in my entrance. I wasn't expecting company, DH was at work. I was just here with my dog (just one dog at that time). It was the middle of July and it was hot, hot, hot. So, of course, I was running around in my sports bra and shorts. We all do that when we run the sweeper, right? Well, anyway....

My front door bursts open and my neighbor man, who I hardly know because he's new to the neighborhood, yells at me at the top of his lungs, "Call 911, your neighbor's house is on fire!"

I froze. He's looking at me like, "MOVE YOU IDIOT!" So I move and tell him ok, no problem, I'll call. I run to the dining room for the cordless phone. Then it hits me that this has GOT to be a joke. I mean, c'mon. I'm in my bra for goodness sakes. He said "your neighbor's house is on fire." He didn't say, "Jones' house, or Smith's house, or Johnson's house." And I think that it will be ME that's in trouble for calling 911 and making a prank call. But, then, what if he's not joking? Oh, crap. I have to go outside in my sports bra.

I run out on the porch...in my sports bra and shorts...while I'm dialing 911. I hold off on hitting the "talk" button. Then I see the house. It's completely black inside. The guy who just ran into my house is running into the burning house. Oh, double crap.

I call 911. Send the firetrucks please. Why? A house is burning down. Where? On my street (give address). *Exact* address...um, well, it's not marked. Can't they just look for the house with flames coming out of it? It shouldn't be that hard to find, really. We don't know if anyone is inside. No one was inside. No one was hurt, thank God. When the guy ran into the house a kitty cat ran out. He saved the kitty's life.

At some point I do manage to go inside and clothe myself, good Lord. I'm hoping it was before the firefighters and half the town showed up. I really don't remember.

It took about 5 minutes for the firefighters to get here, and it seemed like an eternity to me. We stood across the street and watched the house burn and felt so helpless. The windows blew out and the flames were so hot that they were burning our faces and arms all the way across the street.

That's the only time I've ever seen firefighters at work and they amazed me. Our team here is all volunteer and they were so fast and thorough, it was really something.

After the fire my DH went into the house. The fire burned so hot that it had melted the fridge. We were told the reason for that was because it had smoldered for so long. Then when the guy opened the door to go in and see if anyone was trapped it created a backdraft into the kitchen...that came out the front of the house and blew out the windows. Crazy, huh?

The night of the fire the fire marshal questioned me about the folks who lived in the house. How weird is that? It was ruled an accidental fire, started by a potpourri burner with a faulty cord...that ignited a sofa.

The funniest thing about all of this was after the neighbor guy burst into my house, then ran into the burning house he got into his car, with his wife driving, and sped away. I mean flew down our hill as fast as they could. It seemed very odd (suspicious) at the time. We found out later it was because they were taking their dog to the Vet because he had just stepped on it and sprained it's leg. He was kind of a hero to everyone in the neighborhood, except the dog, of course.

So, I guess the moral of this story is, if you're ever home alone vacuuming in your undies on a hot day in mid-July and a man bursts in through your front door it may not be a joke. And if the man then speeds off in his car don't get too suspicious. Oh, and know you're neighbor's address. (I heard one of the firefighters making a comment about the 911 caller not knowing their neighbor's address. *blushing* But around here, my house could be 145 and next door might be 156. I'm not kidding. Our streets also don't all have names.)

great story!!

How aweful for your neighbors, Heather. Did they rebuild or move? Nd I don't know my neighbors addresses either. Maybe I should find out.

We're not sure what started the fire in the motorhome but someone at work mentioned a propane burner. Faulty wiring. Couldn't have been the tank that blew because that would have taken out the soundwall and the house next to it.

Thought I posted about my daughter and her little theft. She was 8 and took a friends Mickey Mouse watch that played tunes. My friend got it at Disneyland. My friend said she may have and I didn't believe her. That is until I found it under her sleeve and on her arm! Talk about embarassing! LOL

They couldn't rebuild, but they had already started building a new home when the fire happened. They were renting the house out to their nephew. The house was brick and the fire burned so hot that it did something to the mortar between the bricks. I can't remember the word for it, but it made it not safe. I guess it would make the mortar brittle or something. The house had to come down. No one was happy about the situation, but I don't think there could have been better circumstances to have a house fire. The nephew rented a new house and the owners were already in their new house.

Everyone tried to keep the kitty here, since he was old and this was the only neighborhood he knew. He was the owner's kitty and lived w/ the nephew so it wouldn't traumatize him to move. Poor cat! He was an indoor/outdoor cat. We feed him, etc. He was very friendly, but he just wouldn't come to live at our house. He knew his house was his house and wouldn't stay away from it. There was too much broken glass and debris after the fire so the owners eventually had to move him to their new home. He was one of the fattest cats I've ever seen. His belly actually drug on the ground when he walked!


Kwanjin, I can just see a kid doing that. I *loved* Mickey when I was a kid. So much so that I disliked Minnie! lol! It would be so hard for a kid to resist a Mickey watch, especially one that played music and came right from Disney. I'm pretty sure I would have swiped that watch too!

Truth be known, I would have too. LOL Don't tell her, she'd never let me forget it! I have a very fat cat, too. In fact, I have two!