2005-08-09 - 6:11 p.m.
Fire!
The vigilance had a fire in her apartment last night. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am that it happened at 9:30PM when both she and her boyfriend were awake and that they and everyone else in their building are okay.
It happened like this: Vigilance is cleaning, has living room lamp unplugged. Plugs it back in and several lights go out throughout the apartment. Since she doesn’t like going to the basement alone she advises the boyfriend and waits till he comes home to check the circuit breakers. He tries them; the problem still exists. They call building management (real estate co./owner is overseas news correspondent, I think) who says they will send an electrician the next day.
Time passes. They are hanging outside on the deck, and when they come in her boyfriend thinks he smells smoke. When they were outside they were burning citronella candles, so they think it might be that they smell. The vigilance goes into the living room and smells strong smoke and tells her boyfriend she thinks they have a fire. He scoffs at her thinking she’s being dramatic (takes after me?). Then she sees smoke coming out of the window sill. They call 911 go banging on the downstairs neighbors door, not knowing if there is fire down there, the firemen come. It was their 4th electrical fire of the day, and they have certainly been busy besides that these last few days.
The firemen said that it was probably a screw or nail that had been in the walls for years with the timing being just right to ignite. There was wall and window damage and loss of personal property due to water damage – TV, DVD, VCR, and the vigilance’s Chinese wall screens that she has had since a wee one (I think that bothered her the most).
Once again, I pause to say: HOLY MOTHERFREAKING CRAP, I’M SO FUCKING HAPPY THEY ARE OKAY. See? The last few days, there has been a rash of bad fires in her city, and I was worried about it but didn’t say anything to her, for I didn’t want to come across as the “PROPHET OF DOOM.” She was okay, as I kept telling myself she would be, and I’m mighty happy about that.
She still has no electricity, and the living room needs a new wall, at least one of the windows needs to be replaced, and she said you can actually see outside through a crack under one of the windows. That has me worried, because what if it rains? Water conducts electricity. There is an opening. Never mind. My hormones are raging.
Can I say again how happy I am? I could cry.
