57/365
I am not sure I have the words to describe last nights event, and I am not sure I knew how it would affect me. But I do know that I am exhausted. Mentally, physically, and emotionally. I am looking forward to a calm, safe, night’s sleep.
At about 11 pm last night I had just headed to bed. I had just received some extremely sad news from a dear friend who I adore. I was heartbroken. I could not force myself to blog the Yankee Candle shot of the day, because my heart was heavy. As I pulled the covers up, our trusty black lab mutt Delta who had been sleeping in our laundry room gave off his deep throated warning/something is wrong bark. A special bark that I have only heard a few times before so I knew something was wrong. I went to investigate. As I stepped out of our bedroom I could see that our dining room and living room were lit up. I peeked out the back window and our yard looked as if a spotlight was illuminating it. Our entire yard was as bright as it is in the middle of the day. Then I saw it, flames in our neighbors back yard. Their yard was on fire and I knew I had to alert someone, and quick. However, I realized I was seeing lights coming from the front of our house so I opened the door. As I stepped off of our front porch the heat hit me like a brick wall and I gasped. Our neighbor’s home to the west side of ours was completely engulfed in flames. The fire rigs were already arriving. There were at least 8 large pump trucks that were lining our street. (Apparently the dispatcher informed the fire dept that the closest hydrant was 1200 yards away, however the hydrant sits immediately in front of that house.) The man who lived in the home was able to get everyone out in nothing but the clothes on their backs, and they have their smoke detectors to thank for that. My children’s rooms are the closest to the neighboring house and they were fast asleep in their beds. I was instructed to get them and our pets and stay across the street just to be safe. I scrambled to get their sleepy little selves and our dogs to safety. We were able to stay with our amazing neighbors in their home until we were given the ok to return to ours at about 2 am once they got the fire under control. It is amazing how quickly that home was engulfed and how quickly it burned. The amount of damage is gut wrenching. Everything was lost. The Fire Marshall has said that they believe it was started by an electrical wire arcing behind the refrigerator. Thank goodness for the smoke detectors. I encourage everyone one of you to do a test on the detectors in your own homes to make sure your batteries are good. Do that test today. Don’t wait. And replace them all if there is any question. I also encourage you to think about the possessions you would want saved if you were to suffer a house fire. Our neighbor had a fireproof lock box and it worked. The items inside were a little wet, but had no fire damage. Get all of your important papers, keepsakes, irreplaceable items, and PICTURES into one of these. Because last night as I was getting my children out, I didn’t have time to grab anything that I would want to take with me. Nothing was where it should be anyway. It was not even my own home in flames, but there was that risk and my stomach was in knots. If it were my own home on fire there would have been even fewer seconds to grab anything but my children…
I want to end this with a huge shout out to the four fire departments that responded to the call in record time last night. Pace, Avalon, Bagdad, and Midway. It’s comforting to know that if ever there is a need, they will be there.
Today’s Smiles From the Heart:
The safety of my family and our home.
Neighbors who were there for us during, and who came to check on us today. We are so blessed by amazing neighbors, and live in an incredible neighborhood!
