Tell us your best fire stories

[CDGator]

@Bushmaster posted a fire story in the “This shouldn’t even be possible” thread so I thought we might have some good campfire stories here. I believe several of you were firemen.


Bushmaster’s story reminded me of the time we (might have) burned down the neighbor’s barn. @Seedy and I left our horses across the street when we went to Hawaii to get married. The first day we were gone one of the horses rammed a metal rod into her shoulder blade and required a bazillion stitches. Every day the neighbor had to keep the horse in the stall. Their haybarn was about 70 years old so the wiring was old. There was a lot of hay in there stored from farming over the years. The night we got back from our honeymoon we let the horse out into the pasture about 8pm and went to bed. I woke up at 10pm to the dog growling and the sky was bright orange outside. I guess Seedy called the fire department while I called the neighbor to tell him his barn was on fire. He laughed at me and said ‘yeah, right!’ thinking I was joking.

Since we are on farm land there are no hydrants so they plopped a pool down in my front yard to fill it up from multiple trucks. Another neighbor confessed that when he woke up and saw the orange sky he thought the rapture had occurred and they got left behind.




We have no idea how the fire started. Could have been old wiring or it was also easy access for arson. There have been several arson barn fires over the years in our area. Obviously a total loss. There was about $70,000 in farm equipment that was uninsured. However all the horses were in the pasture and safe.

 

[Gator By Marriage]

When I was about 4, my parents decided we had out grown our house and bought a larger one a few blocks away. A couple of days after closing, but before we moved in, the house was struck by lightning and caught fire. Fortunately the damage was limited to a section of the roof over the attic - several surviving rafters are charred to this day - but as a little kid I somehow thought it meant the whole house burned down. We were very fortunate.

 

[Back Alley Gator]

Wait wait...CD is married to Bush?

 

[CDGator]

Wait wait...CD is married to Bush?

Seedy is going to be pissed when he finds out.

 

[Back Alley Gator]

Seedy is going to be pissed when he finds out.

No no no...CD = Seedy. We all know your game. ;)

 

[CDGator]

No no no...CD = Seedy. We all know your game. ;)

Well then I guess Bush is going to be pissed when he finds out.

 

[Back Alley Gator]

Well then I guess Bush is going to be pissed when he finds out.

Sorry for the thread hijack. I couldn't resist. For the record Im terribly sorry you're married to Bush. That must be a horrible burden.

;)

 

[CDGator]

Sorry for the thread hijack. I couldn't resist. For the record Im terribly sorry you're married to Bush. That must be a horrible burden.

;)

I guess you could say it was a spontaneously arranged marriage.

 

[CDGator]

When I was about 4, my parents decided we had out grown our house and bought a larger one a few blocks away. A couple of days after closing, but before we moved in, the house was struck by lightning and caught fire. Fortunately the damage was limited to a section of the roof over the attic - several surviving rafters are charred to this day - but as a little kid I somehow thought it meant the whole house burned down. We were very fortunate.

I’m guessing that was traumatic as a 4 year old. At least you weren’t living there at the time.
I didn’t sleep well for year after the barn fire.

 

[Gator By Marriage]

I’m guessing that was traumatic as a 4 year old. At least you weren’t living there at the time.
I didn’t sleep well for year after the barn fire.

My parents had seven, yes seven, lightning rods installed before we moved in. It made us kids think all was well. Perhaps they were right, it’s been over 54 years and the house hadn’t been struck again!

 

[CDGator]

My parents had seven, yes seven, lightning rods installed before we moved in. It made us kids think all was well. Perhaps they were right, it’s been over 54 years and the house hadn’t been struck again!

lightening rods are not a bad idea! We don’t have one but should.
My BIL lives about 3 miles away from us and his house was struck by lightening in 2017. The dog woke him up because there was a small fire in the fireplace. He couldn’t extinguish it so the fire department came out to shut off the gas. He had called his wife to tell her just as she was going into court that morning that it wasn’t a big deal and everything is ok. The lightening had struck the gas line and it must have traveled up the walls and was smoldering because as the firemen were standing there it suddenly became a three alarm fire. After the firemen had been trying to put it out they eventually had to ask him for the few items he wanted to save. Our county ran out of water to fight the fire so they had to start bringing in water from the next county. By the time his wife got out of court a few hours later they had lost EVERYTHING. The insurance company paid them but then the insurance company went after the company that made the gas line for the fireplace. There was a class action lawsuit already started because of lightening strikes causing fires.

 

[Gator By Marriage]

lightening rods are not a bad idea! We don’t have one but should.
My BIL lives about 3 miles away from us and his house was struck by lightening in 2017. The dog woke him up because there was a small fire in the fireplace. He couldn’t extinguish it so the fire department came out to shut off the gas. He had called his wife to tell her just as she was going into court that morning that it wasn’t a big deal and everything is ok. The lightening had struck the gas line and it must have traveled up the walls and was smoldering because as the firemen were standing there it suddenly became a three alarm fire. After the firemen had been trying to put it out they eventually had to ask him for the few items he wanted to save. Our county ran out of water to fight the fire so they had to start bringing in water from the next county. By the time his wife got out of court a few hours later they had lost EVERYTHING. The insurance company paid them but then the insurance company went after the company that made the gas line for the fireplace. There was a class action lawsuit already started because of lightening strikes causing fires.

Dayum.

 

[gingerlover]

Man these are horrible. When I was young and an insurance adjuster I hated doing fire claims. Just sucked telling people how much wouldn’t get replaced because it either required it’s own policy that they never had or depreciation

 

[B52G8rAC]

On alert one day when we had a start engine exercise. Things went well and we shut down the jet. At the time, there was an off checklist procedure to pull the engine ignition circuit breakers to keep the start cartridges from shorting and igniting inadvertently. We also went back to jet after 6 hours to do a normal engine run to check out the systems. So, the crew gather at about 1800 hours and stepped to the alert bird. Crew chief hook up the pneumatics and electrics and we proceeded to start the engines. 12% RPM and throttle to run. 10 seconds. No ignition. 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds when the gunner noticed the pulled CBs and pushed the in. About 150 gallons of jet fuel had been aerosolized and pumped out to envelop the airframe when it all ignited simultaneously. Being inside a fireball at night in a fully armed alert bomber is a sphincter tightening event. The sortie behind us was yelling to the command post that Sortie One had exploded. The off checklist procedure was deleted first thing the next morning.

 

[CDGator]

On alert one day when we had a start engine exercise. Things went well and we shut down the jet. At the time, there was an off checklist procedure to pull the engine ignition circuit breakers to keep the start cartridges from shorting and igniting inadvertently. We also went back to jet after 6 hours to do a normal engine run to check out the systems. So, the crew gather at about 1800 hours and stepped to the alert bird. Crew chief hook up the pneumatics and electrics and we proceeded to start the engines. 12% RPM and throttle to run. 10 seconds. No ignition. 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds when the gunner noticed the pulled CBs and pushed the in. About 150 gallons of jet fuel had been aerosolized and pumped out to envelop the airframe when it all ignited simultaneously. Being inside a fireball at night in a fully armed alert bomber is a sphincter tightening event. The sortie behind us was yelling to the command post that Sortie One had exploded. The off checklist procedure was deleted first thing the next morning.

Wow - Can’t even imagine what that feels like.

 

[B52G8rAC]

Wow - Can’t even imagine what that feels like.

It was an illuminating experience. No damage to the jet but the crew chief did get blown off his feet. Nothing burned but the fuel.

 

[NVGator]

Am I to assume these don't include trips to the bathroom or the next morning?

Thought I'd ask in advance.

 

[NVGator]

Luckily I don't have any personal fire stories, just folks I know. My Father In Law's home in Wenatchee was lost in 2015. Gone, and given 20 minutes to get out. Leveled.

Homes burn in Wenatchee, Washington wildfire - Wildfire Today

 

[soflagator]

lightening rods are not a bad idea! We don’t have one but should.
My BIL lives about 3 miles away from us and his house was struck by lightening in 2017. The dog woke him up because there was a small fire in the fireplace. He couldn’t extinguish it so the fire department came out to shut off the gas. He had called his wife to tell her just as she was going into court that morning that it wasn’t a big deal and everything is ok. The lightening had struck the gas line and it must have traveled up the walls and was smoldering because as the firemen were standing there it suddenly became a three alarm fire. After the firemen had been trying to put it out they eventually had to ask him for the few items he wanted to save. Our county ran out of water to fight the fire so they had to start bringing in water from the next county. By the time his wife got out of court a few hours later they had lost EVERYTHING. The insurance company paid them but then the insurance company went after the company that made the gas line for the fireplace. There was a class action lawsuit already started because of lightening strikes causing fires.

I like that stairway railing and feel like it could still be salvaged. If you don’t mind me asking, what it set you back?

 

[bradgator2]

I believe I already posted the whole story in the “worst things you have done” thread. Or maybe it was the dumbest things you have done. But the short version is: booze and fireworks.