The Roof

[jmfargo]

So yesterday was an adventure. Aside from my electric stove setting some boiled-over grease on fire (electric AND fire stove: best of both worlds!) not much happened, but since I've never actually set any major appliance on fire before it counts as an adventure in and of itself. Thankfully, as I said in my purposely vague (it's more fun that way) post from yesterday, the fire extinguisher works. Everyone, of course, is fine.

At first, I tried just placing a lid over the fire, thinking to smother it. After about half a minute I realized it wasn't working because the oxygen was coming from underneath the coils; there's a big open space there that opens up to the other burners. So much for that good idea. Still, no panicking allowed, I knew we had a fire extinguisher. Surprisingly I'd never had to use one before, so while the flames were licking my stove, looking for a way out and into the rest of the house, I had to calmly read and follow the instructions. It felt kind of surreal.

For those that don't know, fire extinguishers are very messy. Everything within 10 feet of where I blasted was covered in a fine white foam, and the air filled with CO2* so I asked my mother to take the dogs outside while I called the fire department's non-emergency number.

Why did I call the fire department, you ask? Good question. I don't know. I just remembered that, as a kid, the school taught that even if you put out a fire by yourself, you should call. Maybe it was just because we were kids; probably as a matter of fact. Still, I remembered what they told me when I was a kid, called the non-emergency number, and got told that unless there was an actual fire I didn't have to worry about it.

Hey, what can I say, I was trained well as a kid. Well enough that it lasted into adulthood.

So the house is fine, the dogs are fine, and everyone's okay. The stove needs a good cleaning.

*That 2 is supposed to be a subscript, small and at the bottom but I have no idea how to...wait..idea. I wonder if it worked.

Comments

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I wasn't alone in thinking that.

When I called them they told me "Well, unless you want us to come to your house there's nothing we can do." I didn't particularly think they had to waste their time since I'm an adult and could tell that the fire was completely out.

[kmg-365.livejournal.com]

For a stove top incident like yours, yeah, you can tell it is completely out. However, a friend of ours had a fire in a wall oven, and the fire department opened the wall to make sure that the fire didn't get into the walls.

In that instance, better safe than sorry.

[argonel.livejournal.com]

I can tell you they would rather answer the non-emergency line to reassure you that it's a non-issue than answer the emegency line so they can keep your neighbors house from burning down.