Tell us your best fire stories
- Thread starter CDGator
- Start date
- Jun 12, 2014
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Founding Member
- Jul 27, 2018
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I am pissed you two timing hissy!!
- Jul 24, 2020
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Nalt
Well-Known Member
- Jul 23, 2020
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Nalt
Well-Known Member
- Jul 23, 2020
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I've dealt with more house fires than I can count. But none were mine. I was once a volunteer fire fighter so...
The worst one I had to help fight was about 1 a.m. and the temperature was around 11 degrees. IT WAS COLD! We had water freezing on the back porch and running down the steps making entry and retreat much more dangerous. Got the fire put out, truck back in the bay at the station and back home in bed in short order. Around 4 a.m. we got called out to the same place again. There was apparently some fire between the ceiling and the decking in the attic that we couldn't see. It smoldered for a bit before reigniting... Oh, and it was even colder the 2nd time at that house because our turnouts were all wet...
The worst one I had to help fight was about 1 a.m. and the temperature was around 11 degrees. IT WAS COLD! We had water freezing on the back porch and running down the steps making entry and retreat much more dangerous. Got the fire put out, truck back in the bay at the station and back home in bed in short order. Around 4 a.m. we got called out to the same place again. There was apparently some fire between the ceiling and the decking in the attic that we couldn't see. It smoldered for a bit before reigniting... Oh, and it was even colder the 2nd time at that house because our turnouts were all wet...
- Jul 15, 2014
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- Mar 14, 2015
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I was too young to remember (around 2 or 3) but my dad burnt our house down one Christmas morning. I know it may be hard for some of you to believe but my father used to have a bad drug and alcohol problem. We we're still living in north Florida at the time. Evidently it was a really cold morning and all the water pipes froze up, the ones outside and even the ones in the attic. So of course my father who was under the influence of some substances at the time thought it was a good idea to climb in the attic and build a fire to thaw out the pipes and burnt our fuching house down. 
Nalt
Well-Known Member
- Jul 23, 2020
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- Jul 15, 2014
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OK, fair enough!That movie came out in 1991. I believe this incident happened before that...
- Jul 24, 2020
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I was too young to remember (around 2 or 3) but my dad burnt our house down one Christmas morning. I know it may be hard for some of you to believe but my father used to have a bad drug and alcohol problem. We we're still living in north Florida at the time. Evidently it was a really cold morning and all the water pipes froze up, the ones outside and even the ones in the attic. So of course my father who was under the influence of some substances at the time thought it was a good idea to climb in the attic and build a fire to thaw out the pipes and burnt our fuching house down.
Unsure of the appropriate emote for this post
- Jun 11, 2014
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Founding Member
I have been stalked by fires during my life. (Don't know why)
Living in Tallahassee when I was 6, some of the neighborhood kids went out in a field behind our house and dug a Fort in the dirt, covered it with plywood from a local building project. On a cold Nov. day, I decided it was too cold and started to build a fire for warmth, inside the fort. Roof was only about 3 ft from floor, stacked up a pile of scrap wood, poured some gas on the wood and struck a match. The gas had atomized and exploded in the confined space..... blew the roof completely off, singed my clothes, caught my hair on fire and knocked me about 20 ft. out of the hole. That should have been enough but I hadn't put the lid on the gas can, it was blown out of the fort, streaming a line of burning gas that started a grass fire that eventually burnt about 50 acres of brush land. My father was obligated to exercise his wrath on my back-side when he arrived.
When I was about 10, we were living in Seminole Heights, Tampa. In an old wood frame Cracker House, it was built off the ground on clay brick pillars about 2 1/2 foot clearance in the crawl space. I had heard my Father tell people that Fuel Oil was not explosive and couldn't be lit by just exposing it to open flame. We used a oil fired floor furnace for heat and keep several 5 gal. cans of oil under the side of the house. One beautiful fall day, I decided to impress some of the neighborhood boys with my new found knowledge so I crawled under the back porch and started throwing lit matches into a 5 gallon fuel oil can, amazingly the matches would just hit the fuel oil and go out. Several days later we were bored and decided to show some other kids our new game but this time I grabbed the small can that my father used for lawn mower gas........ The explosion knocked me about 20 ft out in the yard, destroyed two of the brick pillars and caught the floor joist on fire. Luckily the Fire Station was only about 5 blocks away and they were able to save the main house structure but the porch was a complete write-off! My father was obligated to exercise his wrath on my back-side when he arrived.
Are two stories enough or do you want to hear more?
Living in Tallahassee when I was 6, some of the neighborhood kids went out in a field behind our house and dug a Fort in the dirt, covered it with plywood from a local building project. On a cold Nov. day, I decided it was too cold and started to build a fire for warmth, inside the fort. Roof was only about 3 ft from floor, stacked up a pile of scrap wood, poured some gas on the wood and struck a match. The gas had atomized and exploded in the confined space..... blew the roof completely off, singed my clothes, caught my hair on fire and knocked me about 20 ft. out of the hole. That should have been enough but I hadn't put the lid on the gas can, it was blown out of the fort, streaming a line of burning gas that started a grass fire that eventually burnt about 50 acres of brush land. My father was obligated to exercise his wrath on my back-side when he arrived.
When I was about 10, we were living in Seminole Heights, Tampa. In an old wood frame Cracker House, it was built off the ground on clay brick pillars about 2 1/2 foot clearance in the crawl space. I had heard my Father tell people that Fuel Oil was not explosive and couldn't be lit by just exposing it to open flame. We used a oil fired floor furnace for heat and keep several 5 gal. cans of oil under the side of the house. One beautiful fall day, I decided to impress some of the neighborhood boys with my new found knowledge so I crawled under the back porch and started throwing lit matches into a 5 gallon fuel oil can, amazingly the matches would just hit the fuel oil and go out. Several days later we were bored and decided to show some other kids our new game but this time I grabbed the small can that my father used for lawn mower gas........ The explosion knocked me about 20 ft out in the yard, destroyed two of the brick pillars and caught the floor joist on fire. Luckily the Fire Station was only about 5 blocks away and they were able to save the main house structure but the porch was a complete write-off! My father was obligated to exercise his wrath on my back-side when he arrived.
Are two stories enough or do you want to hear more?
- Jul 24, 2020
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If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.
How did you even make it to 18? Your mom must be a saint.
- Jun 11, 2014
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Founding Member
If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.
How did you even make it to 18? Your mom must be a saint.
Oh, there is more, much more.......
- Feb 28, 2021
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Fire is my biggest fear! Fortunately, the closest I've come to fire tragedy was on 2 separate occasions in the early 90s when my hair caught fire... both times due to ample Hairspray on my head and friends with lit cigarettes. Both times, the flame was snuffed out without any noticeable damage. Hadn't that about that those incidents in decades. Lol
- Dec 31, 2018
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I initially thought the spanking after the first incident was superfluous; surely the experience must have been punishment enough and a great life lesson. The second incident told me that your father clearly knew with whom he was dealing. He may not have been a wealthy man, but he obviously was a smart one.Oh, there is more, much more.......
- Aug 1, 2018
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No words can describe how violent and dumb this was. Here is a screenshot of a video:
View attachment 39891
In Georgia, that's what I call, "Tuesday night". Here's us just recently...
And some time ago...
But they all turn to this...
...and then all is right with the World.
- Dec 18, 2015
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- 1,317
No words can describe how violent and dumb this was. Here is a screenshot of a video:
So that's the red glow I saw in Ocklawaha that night :)
- Dec 18, 2015
- 907
- 1,317
Here's my story. Roughly 7 years old and lit a box of matches, threw them in a pan, panicked and shoved it under my bed. The webbing under old beds burn real well so I learned.
Anyway Mom was laying down when I went in and said "My bed is on fire"... I've never seen a 4' 10" yankee woman jump to her feet that fast.
Ran into my room, grabbed the half engulfed mattress, and hauled it out of our mobile home ( yeah we live in the sticks).
She saved the house and called the neighbors to come get me before she killed me. Dad beat my ass so bad that day I still feel it.
So now the funny part of the story. Few years after pops passed Mom finally had the floor redone (yes same old 1968 linoleum that wasn't changed until 2015 or so... we're cheap asses) She saved the part that was melted and charred, framed it and that was my Christmas present one year. I can't make this up, I'll find my "present" and post a pic.
Anyway Mom was laying down when I went in and said "My bed is on fire"... I've never seen a 4' 10" yankee woman jump to her feet that fast.
Ran into my room, grabbed the half engulfed mattress, and hauled it out of our mobile home ( yeah we live in the sticks).
She saved the house and called the neighbors to come get me before she killed me. Dad beat my ass so bad that day I still feel it.
So now the funny part of the story. Few years after pops passed Mom finally had the floor redone (yes same old 1968 linoleum that wasn't changed until 2015 or so... we're cheap asses) She saved the part that was melted and charred, framed it and that was my Christmas present one year. I can't make this up, I'll find my "present" and post a pic.
