So my house caught on fire last night…

… no really, FIRE. And not just a little fire. BIG flames shooting out of the garage. See...


I know you all are dying to hear the story, so here it goes.

The fire started Thursday night around 9:00pm. I was laying on the couch waiting for the clothes in the dryer to finish before going to bed. I’m so glad that I did not go to bed with the dryer running!

As I walked into the kitchen I heard what sounded like the dryer banging against the wall. At that point I smelled electrical burning and I knew.

I ran out of the house as fast as I could, opening the garage door and fully knowing what I was about to see. It was already bad. I grabbed the fire extinguisher and hit the flames but they were too big and the extinguisher too small.

I ran back inside, grabbed my cell phone and dialed 911. I also grabbed Malachi and threw her in the car. Thank God that she was still laying on the back of the couch and not hiding under a bed or on the fridge. She was more perplexed why I was grabbing her and running. I also managed to grab the laptop, camera, and my purse and a few pictures.

After what seemed like forever, the fire department finally got there. Though I was more than annoyed when they ‘charged’ up the hose, and there was no pressure in the line. Seriously WTF.

At this point I realized I should take some pictures, so I snapped some with my phone. As you can see the flames were HUGE!

The cause of the fire is definitely related to the dryer, though there are conflicting reports. The fire marshal says that it was caused by a faulty three way plug behind the dryer. However, the Nationwide investigator says that it was caused by lint build up in the hose running from the dryer out of the side of the house. I’m starting to believe the second cause over the first, because I can see the fire origin on the back of the dryer and the direction of the flames.

Note to all you out there. Make sure your lint line coming out of your dryer is clear. My line had a 90 deg bend it in and that’s where the buildup occurred.

Damage:

The garage is pretty much gone, as are most of its contents. The mountain bike, fixi, and the old beater bike are all destroyed/melted/etc. All the power tools are gone, gardening stuff, etc. The bike tools are gone. However, I did say that “most” everything was gone. What was not destroyed was my silicon baking stuff that my mom got me a while ago. I hardly ever use the stuff, but there it was, in good condition, not even damaged. I little dirty, but not burnt or melted. I was amazed. My house should be a commercial for that place.

So that’s the update. I’m tired now and I’m going to take a nap. I will be homeless for a while, but the insurance will be putting me up at a hotel (woo hoo).

Thank you for all your concerns and well wishes. Sorry if I have not gotten back to you yet.