If your house was on fire.... - Page 5

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

To those of you who have actually experienced a loss of home due to fire or other calamity, I'm so sorry you had to experience it, and glad for those who have posted all their loved ones remain safe.

It is one thing to play the game of 'If I could save one thing', and another completely, to live through it actually happening. I hope I didn't unearth horrible memories for you, but do hope maybe it brings things in to perspective for those of us that haven't dealt with something so awful.

RainyDayGal · ‎03-09-2010

With 4 dogs and a cat that's going to take up all of my time getting them safe. If there is any spare time we'd be grabbing the laptops and hard drives.

MacDUFF · ‎05-29-2015

@Mominohio

No need to apologize to me...it's an interesting question. My husband put the fire out before the fire trucks arrived, so we had a small burned out area where the fire started, and the rest was smoke damage. Which was everywhere and every single item in the house! We were in a hotel for almost four months.

When people ask me, I usually recommend getting a fireproof box of some sort and put your important papers and a few photos (or a thumb drive with important info/photos on it) in it. I had a fireproof box which probably cost me about $25 when I was single; we now have a big fireproof safe. Of course, you can get a bank deposit box, too.

For me and for many other people I've talked to who have had a fire (or other disaster), I can tell you that all the talk about what you'll grab if it happens goes right out the window...I didn't have the time and I didn't even think of grabbing anything I ever said I would!

~~~ I call dibs on the popcorn concession!! ~~~

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

My only concern would be to get everyone out of the house. My husband and oldest daughter use c-pap machines, and my husband hears nothing once he puts the mask on and goes to sleep. A year ago, our crazy neighbor went off her meds and was on our front porch in the middle of the night, pounding the door and ringing the doorbell. I was up for 2 hours, with lights on, getting police here to cart the neighbor away, and my husband slept thru it all. I would just hope to be able to get everyone out, and move the dogs to a safer place outside.

GrnEyeGal · ‎07-08-2012

I don't know if I'd think of it at the time, but I'd be heartbroken if I lost my grandmother's recipe book with her notes in the margins.

jubilant · ‎06-10-2010

@GrnEyeGal wrote:
I don't know if I'd think of it at the time, but I'd be heartbroken if I lost my grandmother's recipe book with her notes in the margins.

********* We watched our home burn down pretty much room by room.There is so much going through your mind and, really, you are in a state of shock. When things settled down (which took awhile) and I started cooking again in the apartment our insurance co. rented for us, I realized my recipes were gone. All my Grandma's handwritten recipes (and my mother's, too) When someone has passed and you see that persons handwriting you realize they are, in a way, still with you.

One morning, I got a knock on the door. It was my mother standing there with a big grin on her face. She had copied off by hand (it must have taken her hours) many of her own recipes, many of her mother's (my Grandma), and she also had given me several of Grandma's handwritten recipes of her own. She had them in a bright new recipe box. Mom's just know. I shed some happy tears. Up until that time I don't think I had cried. You just go into survival mode and do what you have to do. I have so many little stories like this.

jubilant · ‎06-10-2010

@Mominohio wrote:
To those of you who have actually experienced a loss of home due to fire or other calamity, I'm so sorry you had to experience it, and glad for those who have posted all their loved ones remain safe.

It is one thing to play the game of 'If I could save one thing', and another completely, to live through it actually happening. I hope I didn't unearth horrible memories for you, but do hope maybe it brings things in to perspective for those of us that haven't dealt with something so awful.

************* Please don't worry about bad memories. We just felt so fortunate to get out with our lives. Twenty minutes earlier we had been standing next to the thing that exploded and knocked out the whole garage wall. Had we have not gone into the house when we did.... we wouldn't be here. Also, both of our children were not at home at the time. We have so much to be thankful for.

MomCat · ‎09-12-2010

Other than grabbing my purse so I will at least have a little cash, cards, and some ID, I would help get our cats out. We have promised that we would not put ourselves in danger rounding up the cats, but we'd sure try to do what we could. I would be sad losing some of my other possessions, but mostly because of the hassle of recreating what I need to live. I'm not attached to things.