Tuesday, May 13, 2014

It's all fun and games until the condo above yours catches on fire

So, today started out as any other day--walking on the beach, swimming in the pool. You know. However, shortly after we finished lunch in the condo, the building's fire alarms came alive and demanded our attention. We assumed someone had just been messing around and pulled the lever. But, when I opened the front door to investigate, a heavy smoke smell penetrated my nostrils, and I knew we needed to evacuate. We herded the mostly barefoot and oddly compliant crew out to the parking lot to assess the situation. The view from there confirmed that smoke was indeed escaping from a condo on the floor above ours. Several other people were milling around in the parking lot, and Jeff called 911. Before long, the parking lot was full of condo guests and various firetrucks and firefighters, as smoke continued fill the air above our current home. It turned out to be an electrical fire that started in an outdoor outlet and was, thankfully, caught early and contained quickly. No one was injured, and everyone was allowed to return to their condos, except for the couple staying in that particular unit. My boys thought it was one of the perks of our vacation, getting to see all the firemen and their trucks and gear. The rest of us found it all a little disturbing. But, it brought up an interesting question: If your house (or building) was on fire, and you didn't have much time to think or act, and you could only get out with what you could carry, what would you hope to take with you upon your departure? For us, it played out like this: My mom brought her purse (complete with camera), Ruth brought her book, the boys brought nothing (though Weston alone thought to put shoes on), Jeff brought his mobile office (laptop bag, plus all contents and his phone), and I carried out my laptop and my youngest child. Several of our fellow evacuators had their pets and electronics. But one lady held only her cowboy boots, which we thought a curious choice. I pray none of you ever has to be in this situation in real life, but I'm interested to know what you might deem important enough to take with you if you had to evacuate in just a few short minutes?

How we spent our summer vacation
(This was clearly taken after all serious threats were past.)

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