Fire

sylorna

sylorna

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There was a fire in our building last night.
Started around 1:30am and I was out in the cold with the kitties till 4:30.
Talk about a heart attack! Chester was in his carrier, and then when I went to pick him up he had escaped (sherpa carriers have an extra door and I didn't think to check it) so under the bed I went! 15lbs of kitty is hard to drag out with a fire alarm going on so loud that I have to cover my ears to get through the hall.
We hid in my car, with me turning it on occasionally for heat...since there's still snow on the ground here.
So far I haven't heard or seen any signs of anyone being hurt...they only carried out a tramatised but seemingly ok persian which the lady above the fire owns (and couldn't get out because she had an oxygen tank). I have a bit of smoke inhalation, but other than coughing a bit I"m ok too.
I can't believe how much my legs were shaking as I was getting them into their carriers...From the moment the alarm went off all I could think of was "I have to get the cats, I can't leave without them". Thankfully I opted for a long nighty and my winter jacket before leaving the apartment...I was in the shower to begin with and was fully prepared to leave with a robe as long as I had the kitties.

I'm now two for two on the having apartments catch fire while I live in them scale. Does anyone have renters insurance? I'm considering it, even if I don't have much (I'm a student)...my $2000 laptop would have gone up in flames had it been closer.

Off to do homework with 5 hours of sleep...arg.

Jess
 
babyharley

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Oh how scary


I rent- and I don't have renters insurance
Shame on me, I know. I always forget to call my insurance lady and change it, but now that I'm employed, I think I'm gonna do that this week. Thanks for the reminder
 
rockcat

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Originally Posted by Sylorna

There was a fire in our building last night.
Started around 1:30am and I was out in the cold with the kitties till 4:30.
Talk about a heart attack! Chester was in his carrier, and then when I went to pick him up he had escaped (sherpa carriers have an extra door and I didn't think to check it) so under the bed I went! 15lbs of kitty is hard to drag out with a fire alarm going on so loud that I have to cover my ears to get through the hall.
We hid in my car, with me turning it on occasionally for heat...since there's still snow on the ground here.
So far I haven't heard or seen any signs of anyone being hurt...they only carried out a tramatised but seemingly ok persian which the lady above the fire owns (and couldn't get out because she had an oxygen tank). I have a bit of smoke inhalation, but other than coughing a bit I"m ok too.
I can't believe how much my legs were shaking as I was getting them into their carriers...From the moment the alarm went off all I could think of was "I have to get the cats, I can't leave without them". Thankfully I opted for a long nighty and my winter jacket before leaving the apartment...I was in the shower to begin with and was fully prepared to leave with a robe as long as I had the kitties.

I'm now two for two on the having apartments catch fire while I live in them scale. Does anyone have renters insurance? I'm considering it, even if I don't have much (I'm a student)...my $2000 laptop would have gone up in flames had it been closer.

Off to do homework with 5 hours of sleep...arg.

Jess
Click to expand...
Thank God that you and the kitties are OK! Renters insurance is a good idea and a LOT cheaper than homeowner's insurance because the structure won't be insured. I don't have it either, but have thought about it.
 
neetanddave

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Glad you and the kits are safe, Jess.


And renter's insurance is a good idea. Trouts Mom Nat is in insurance and in Canada, she might can give you some good advice on it.
 
jugen

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How scary for you. I'm glad you and your kitties are ok.
I'd be freaking out. My kitties would be hiding in the drop ceiling in the basement, and the house would burn to the ground before we'd find them. But Brad and I agreed that each of us will get two of the kitties and I will get Neffie too so the cats can get out if at all possible.
 
mooficat

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Oh heck, thats really frightening
glad to hear all of you are safe, I wouldnt know where to start getting cats out under those sort of circumstances
well done !
 
gemlady

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Glad you are okay.


For that $2000 laptop I'd get the insurance esp. since the kits and you will be the first out in an emergency, not the laptop.
 
mirinae

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That would be so frightening! It's something I worry about all the time: what would I do if there was a fire, and it was just me and the cats? Could I carry both of them in the big carrier, or would they let me cram them in the little carrier? What if the noise scared them so much I couldn't find them? I shudder just thinking about it, and some nights it keeps me up.

With regards to renters' insurance: my fiance and I rent, and we have insurance. What we did was to get it in a package with his car insurance, which ended up getting us a better rate (in fact, he pays less for car insurance + renters' insurance than he paid for car insurance alone!) and definitely gives some peace of mind. Sure, some things can't be replaced (and, naturally, those are the things we care the most about!), but for the things that can, it's good to know we won't lose everything in a fire ... especially when you live in a building with many other tenants, some of them less responsible than others.
 
gailc

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Thank goodness everyone is okay. When I rented I always had renter's insurance. The premiums weren't too badly priced and its worth it. Just think of you lost everything-how would you go about replacing all your stuff??
 
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sylorna

sylorna

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Yeah, I need to talk to my insurance lady anyway, since I'm moving back home for the summer (and the rates are slightly lower back home for my car). It sure would give me some peace of mind, knowing that if there was a fire while I was gone this summer, there'd be some coverage
 
larussa

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I am so sorry to hear this, so glad to hear you and the kits are ok. I would've looked for my Misty too before I left the house.
 
C

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Thank goodness everyone is ok.

Many years ago I had a fire in my apt. I didn't have renters insurance and let me tell you-you think you don't have anything much but if you add up replacing everything you own-shoes, clothes, cosmetics even underwear it really is a lot.

I learned my lesson. Renter's insurance is a bargain.
 
carolpetunia

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That's my very worst nightmare -- the place is on fire and I can't find my cats. We're all living in my parents's house right now, and it's so big I don't know how we'd find our combined troop of six!

At home, though, I've tried to fix my apartment so that there's no place they can hide where I can't get to them, right down to putting my bed directly on the floor so I wouldn't have to try to get under it. Thank heaven you were able to manage it!

This has happened to you twice now, in two different apartments? Sheesh!

You, ah... weren't thinking of moving anywhere near me, were you?


Seriously, though -- I don't know what it's like in Canada, but I have fantastic renter's insurance, full replacement value, for about $180 a year. A very small price for big peace of mind.

I'm so glad you're all okay. Take care...
 
Moz

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That's horrible! I'm glad you and your kitty is okay. How's the damage though?
 
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