with out going into detail...I nearly lost the house, a bit of the exterior is damaged, some out buildings ruined..I will be few more days before I can walk without pain .Hair and skin will grow back....The worst fear in the country other than a direct lightening strike is a grass fire, and its dry, No spring rains have come...when I seen the flames right up to the house I completely panicd. I ran out in sock feet, I had presence of mind to run out with a huge heavy blanket to throw across the burning grass closest to the house this bought me time to hook the out side hose up to the tap. Had I not had a out side hose ready to go I would have lost the fight. 3 sides of the house had flames right up licking at the old dry cedar siding.No time to call anyone, I had to act without stopping and even then it was only by the skin of my teeth I put it out..maybe a 2 hour fight before getting the better of it. Inhaled a awful lot of smoke, clothes burnt right off me (socks& sweatpants).
Here is the thing...……………………..I was somewhat ready for this, last fall I bought a bunch of fire suppression balls that could be rolled out in front of a advancing grass fire and they would explode covering the area with fire suppressant, I also bought a bunch of large fire proof blankets that can be rolled out over a grass fire and it will put it out. In my panic I completely forgot I had these things sitting in the house and ready to use.I handled the fire, I am handling my own medical.....but I am getting to old for this much excitement. This has aged me by a couple years.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Close call!!! I'm glad to hear you managed to get by with no more than a little singeing.
Sometimes things happen so fast that you don't have time to think, you can only react. I'm sure that you'll do some gaming in your head about it for the next few weeks and tweek your fire plan a little, to be ready for (God forbid) the next time. Maybe even run a few drills.
Your misfortune though, serves as a reminder for the rest of us, just how quickly a hazard can unfold. Many of us have thought about what we would do in the event of a fire, but haven't really done anything beyond buying a couple of fire extinguishers and keeping the grass cut and the bush trimmed back (myself included). Now, I'm thinking that this summer, I need to get off my butt and install a fire suppression system around my house. I have a few fire blankets but no fire balls. In fact, I've never heard of fire balls before. Where do you get them, how much are they and how much area does one cover?
All-in-all though, I'm glad to hear that you made it through a the emergency without unrecoverable damage.
Those who are unwilling to defend freedom, will become unfree.
Tazweiss here is a link to them https://www.ebay.com/itm/XRT-Fire-Extinguisher-Ball-Easy-Throw-Stop-Fire-Loss-Tool-Safety-0-5KG-1-3KG-/311856481207
there are youtube vids showing how they work.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Well, you made it and that’s what counts. It’s insane how in the thick of things we forget some of our plans or tools. Hope you have insurance and it’s something I mentioned in this forum before. Make sure your well covered for all the time and material we invest in our setups!
Best of luck with rebuild.
I wont be growing plants in here
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Peppercorn,
I'm sorry to hear of this tragic event. Hopefully, your burns were minimal. Make sure that you receive professional medical attention as burns are easily infected and age works against you in the recovery process. Buildings and such can be repaired, but people are more fragile. Look after yourself!
None you improvise, one (or more) is luxury.
Yes Peppercorn, you don't want to void your warranty
Sorry about your fire. Take care of yourself.
Great work! Find a MAG to lean on. Nobody should have to go through the repercussions of something like that alone.
If I was within 10hrs of you I would. Even 1 week or 3 long weekends can make a huge diffrence to the host
