Monday, February 15, 2010

Guardian Angels on Overtime

About 6 weeks ago we had a fire scare. It involved a kiln, some mistakes made, an angry son, and a near-miss. Thankfully, all was well after that scare, but it shook Spencer up quite a bit. It was just a silly mistake, but it could have cost our home or some lives. We were immediately sure that we had been blessed because we paid our tithing (it's interesting what the Holy Ghost can tell you); and my dad said that the kiln-turn-off angels' names are probably Bessie and Layne.

This week I had put some beans on the stove to simmer so we could have taco soup for dinner. I didn't think anything of it, since Bri was home. Briana ended up running out the door for a work shift without thinking about the beans. But it was OK because Ashtyn was home (sick again). Ashie, however, fell asleep (it's what sick people do). The next thing she knew, Bella was licking her face (a BIG no-no) and would not stop, even when she tried to push her away. Bella was coughing like crazy. When Ash finally woke up enough to really get after Bella, she realized that the house was FULL of smoke. Not a single one of the 8 smoke detectors in our house went off. But when she ran upstairs, from the top of the stairs she could not see our kitchen table, about 5 feet away, the smoke was so thick. When she got to the stove, the pan was flaming. She was able to turn off the stove, get the lid on the stove, and get the house opened up; but it scared her more than anything else in her life. It scared me terribly, too, when I think what might have happened to Ashtyn if Bella had not been there.

And now our house smells like one huge ashtray.

If we had lost the house and/or the other stuff in the house it would have been sad and tragic. But if we had lost Ashtyn we would never get over it.

So we are in the midst of disaster recovery. We're cleaning all surfaces in sight. The laundry is literally a mountain.

I came to work the next day and hung up my coat on 2LL, then went up to 8. When I came back downstairs, the office smelled like a campfire--so sorry! I was telling Mike (one of my wonderful managers, and the group manager over plumbing and mechanical services) what had happened, and he said, "They make charcoal filters to help get the smell out. Let me see if I can locate a residential filter." He came back out and said he'd been talking to Kim (the mechanical shop lead), who said, "Why don't we find her an ozone machine?" So Kim called the vendor, who said, "Come pick it up. She can take it home for the weekend." Kim asked how much it would cost, and the vendor said, "I trust you. If you trust her, then there is no charge." So Mike sent one of the men to the vendor to pick up an ozone machine for us to use.

We locked Bells out of the house and took off ourselves for several hours while we ran the ozone machine. It helped immensely. That, along with more cleaning and some baking of goodies made it so Ashie felt like she could have her friends over for their Sweethearts pity party. Some can smell smoke instantly (one of Ash's friends came in and said, "Ashtyn, no offense, but your house smells like a casino") and others think we're just cooking something.

A couple of thoughts:
1. Who is going to take care of me when I leave 2LL? (Yes, there were tears of gratitude.)
2. How many strikes do you get with fire scares? Three, and you're out?

Good news is that Landon has left the "fire drawer" (where we keep matches, lighters, and candles) COMPLETELY alone since our first scare. Better news is that everyone is safe.

And--in spite of still needing to replace flooring in the bathroom--Bella has redeemed herself!


Amy said...


I love Mike. And Kim. And whoever that vendor was. And whoever picked it up. And Ashtyn for being calm enough to not let your house burn down! (I probably would've just run away....she's amazing.) So glad everything is OK.

As for fire chances...I'm pretty sure the rule is that if you pay your fire insurance/tithing, you're good to go. You can be rescued 70 x 7, right?

Coles Fam said...

Oh my gosh, how scary. How wonderful is Ashtyn?! I would have been freaking out and not thinking, especially after just waking up. I'm glad everything turned out ok and that everyone was safe.

Ann said...

Oh i'm so glad you're okay!

Jacqueline said...

I just want you to know that the night after I read your blog...I had a dream that MY house caught on fire!!! AHHH. It was pretty scary so I can only imagine how Ash felt. And you!! I'm glad that everything is okay!!

Amy said...

I turned on your blog to listen to the tunes and Ricky Martin was the first up on the shuffle. Once again you have me laughing out loud and it's only 9:42am! :D

I love you.