OMG! What an ordeal! Fire alarm

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
It's 2am and the fire alarm started ringing at about 1:25 am. I'm not able to get down 8 flights of stairs because of my asthma, so I usually stay in my apartment. If the alarm doesn't shut off in about 10 or 15 minutes, I notify the fire department that I'm still in the building. If they need to evacuate, they come and help me down. In the meantime until the alarm is turned off or they come and get me, I monitor smoke odour and my door for heat.

When the alarm didn't turn off in 10 or 15 minutes I decided to look out the window (I face the back of the building). I noticed that there was a very faint smoke smell, but didn't see anything. And I still didn't smell anything by my apartment door.

In the meantime I'm trying to catch 3 terrified cats.

At the 20 minute point I called the fire department and told them that I'm still in the apartment, that I don't smell smoke at my door and that my door is not warm, but I am smelling a faint smoke smell outside. She told me that there "is something" and that she will notify the fire fighters who will come and assist me.

I threw on my clothing and stepped up my efforts to get my cats. I got Abby first, but she wiggled away when I tried to get her into the carrier. I managed to grab Katie and put her into the new carrier. Spencer was having no part of it. He wouldn't even come to me when I showed him a brush and his favourite toy.

Abby went and hid behind the vertical blinds, and I managed to catch her and shove her into the large cat carrier. However, I still wasn't able to get Spencer close enough to me to catch. I feared I would have to leave him behind


Just as I put Abby into the carrier and closed the carrier door, the fire alarm turned off.

@2:03 am as I was gathering up some documents that I might need, I heard the fire fighters coming down the hallway. I opened the door and there were 2 very winded fire fighters.

By now there was some burned smell in the hallway, but no smoke. They checked my apartment for smoke smell, and found none. They told me that there was a fire on the 4th floor on the east side (I'm on the 7th floor on the west side), facing the river (as do I), but they had already knocked out the fire and it was safe for me to remain in my apartment. They radioed in.

I opened the carriers and let the cats out. Poor kitties! They don't understand why they are being snatched and literally thrown into carriers.

This is the 3rd fire in this building in about 5 years.

The first was on the 3rd floor in an apartment facing the front on the west side (mine). The guy fell asleep with a lit cigarette and when he woke up he saw his couch on fire so he tried to throw it out of the window!
I did smell smoke in the hallway and tried to make my way down the stairs with 1 carrier (I couldn't catch Abby
and had to leave her). I got as far as the 4th floor and I thought I was going to have a heart attack! I have asthma and the smoke smell totally did me in. By the time I got down to the 4th floor I could hardly breathe. I heard voices in the hallway, and I opened the door. There were 3 fire fighters. I gasped that I couldn't go any further. One gave me his Oxygen mask (with ice cold oxygen, so cold that my face was freezing! LOL), and one carried the carrier and one helped me down the stairs. I spent 3 hours in an ambulance resisting going to the hospital because I had just been released from there a few months earlier. So they treated me for smoke inhalation and allowed me to have Chynna in the ambulance with me because it was winter and frigid cold outside. Fire fighters were going up to check on Abby every so often to make sure that things were ok in my apartment.

The 2nd one was the next year or 2 years later. This one on the main floor, middle of the building, facing the river (like I do). It was a grease fire.

Now this one. Ironically I think this one was arson because about 5 or 10 minutes before the alarm went off I heard a bunch of yelling and laughing outside in the parking lot. I didn't think anything about it. Then the fire alarm went off and when I heard it was a real fire, I started to suspect it was deliberate.

Anyway, we're all safe and everything is back to how it should be. I'm starting to smell a faint residual burned smell in my apartment. Like burned plastic. But it's not bad. Just mildly stinky.

@2:23 am, the fire fighters are still in the hallway, "doing something", not sure what. I thought they were checking apartments to give the all clear for people to return.

So it looks like things are still going on. I was going to go to bed, but I guess I'll stay up just in case.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #2

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
The fire fighters just came to my door again to check on me. They just now got the all clear from their dispatch. Because I was up here they had to remain on my floor in case they needed to evacuate me. So before they left, they just wanted to check on me to make sure that everything was still ok. I'm fine. There is no smoke smell, even the stinky burned after smell of plastic is gone.

So I guess people will be returning to their apartments soon.

I asked if it was deliberate, they said that they don't know.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
OMG! I nearly peed myself just now!

I'm sitting here waiting for my pain medication to kick in before I get up to go to bed.

The fire alarm just went off again! But it shut off right away, so they must have been testing it.

I'm never going to get any sleep tonight: I'm so on edge


And poor Spencer is still in hiding
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Well, things have finally settled. The alarm was going off and on about every couple minutes for about 1/2 hour. I guess they were testing it.

About 10 minutes ago I heard some people coming back to their apartments, and it's been quiet for about 20 minutes.

I'm heading to bed.

Abby has forgiven me for stuffing her in the carrier, so has Katie. Spencer came near the bathroom door but wouldn't let me touch him. Poor boy is still spooked.
 

darkmavis

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Messages
4,290
Purraise
160
Location
Long Beach, CA
I'm glad everyone is ok! Though I'm sure you're tired today after everything last night.

Yeah middle of the night fire alarms are no fun. We had 2 when we were in the apt (10th), both were false alarms though. Still, I take fire alarms seriously so I grabbed Genever and we headed down the stairs. She was really good about it, scared but almost acted likewise she knew something was wrong so she let me get her.
 

gloriajh

FERAl born “Pepper”
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 17, 2006
Messages
2,027
Purraise
66
Location
CA - Desert
Glad all are safe!!

This kind of emergency is EVERYone's nightmare! We have 8 cats to round up, and 3 are still in the feral-born don't-touch-me mode. We have one that is FeLV +, so there's no way he's going into a carrier with another cat.

I think I would have been using any means necessary to get a cat into a carrier, even if my body was at risk.
I've had to grab one of mine by the tail in order to capture her - she wasn't mad long.

Sometimes no matter how much you prepare for an emergency, there's always a different glitch in the scenario than you had prepared for.

I can't imagine you getting out of the building carrying cats and carriers down 7 levels - whew! So glad you and your babies are okay!
 

swampwitch

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 30, 2006
Messages
7,753
Purraise
158
Location
Tall Trees & Cold Seas Vancouver Island
Wow, you're not kidding, what an ordeal! Yikes! A shot of adrenaline lasts about 4 hours, so probably nobody in your building got much sleep last night. Hope you can get some rest today.

When do you move?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
I'm exhausted today. I went grocery shopping yesterday afternoon, and my back has been bothering me more lately, so it took me a good 2 hours (plus I waited for them to unload their truck so I could get some strawberries!!), and because there was no home delivery by that time I had to deal with the bags on my own.

So by the time the fire alarm happened, I was already physically taxed out.

And I agree about the adrenaline! I went to bed around 4am or so, and didn't get to sleep until probably 6 or 7 am or so. It's 3:30 pm and I woke up about 1/2 hour ago.
 

yosemite

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Messages
23,313
Purraise
81
Location
Ingersoll, ON
I'm the captain of the fire committe for our building which is a seniors' building and we have several folks that are not mobile. A list of those persons and their unit number is with the fire department so that in case of fire, they are to remain in their units and the fire department will get them out if necessary.
 

luvmyparker

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2010
Messages
1,312
Purraise
64
Location
Nova Scotia
Having cats sure is a lot more stressful when a fire alarm goes off.

We had a trouble maker teen than lived in this building the first year I was here. He and his friends pulled the alarm at least once a week, so there were many times I'd be running to the door to make sure there was no fire. I was so scared about the cats. They are the first thing I think of when there is an alarm going off. I don't how I'd live with myself if I had to leave on behind in a real fire.
A couple months ago there was a fire on the floor below me. Thankfully it was in the oven (they left a pizza box in there and someone turned it on) and it got put out quickly but my heart sank and I felt sick to my stomach when I smelled the smoke. I survived a house fire like 7 years ago...so that smell brings back some bad memories...But yeah...

As soon as it goes off, they scatter and hide. I can't imagine how loud it is on their little ears. Trying to crate them in a hurry is not fun. Stupid us, we only have 2 crates, so we'd have to resort to stuffing two in one carrier. Of course I'd rather that then the alternative.

Sorry, I rambled. But yeah, I understand your fear and frustration. I am glad anyway, that you are all safe and you didn't have to leave anyone behind.
 

auntie crazy

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 4, 2006
Messages
2,435
Purraise
60
I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Natalie_ca, and I'm so glad everything turned out well. *whew!*

Something that can be very helpful in emergency situations is to train your cats to come to a specific call.

Back in 2007/2008, the electrical box outside my bedroom window exploded and flames began creeping up the wall. The sound was INSANE. My hands were shaking and my heart was pounding, but I grabbed the cat carrier and cat treats and calmly called my (at the time, three) kitties to me, scattering the cat treats around my feet. All three responded immediately, despite the sounds of the fire, and I scooped them up one by one and shoved them in the carrier.

As I was rushing towards the front door it was thrown open by a fireman who ordered me OUT in the most commanding voice I think I've ever heard. If I hadn't already gathered my cats (and my Yorkie, who was right on my heels), I have no doubt he would have forced me to leave without them.

I have been training my cats since kittenhood that when I call, "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty", if they come right away, they will receive treats. At least once or twice a month, I call them this way and toss treats over them; this is the ONLY time I give them treats and I NEVER call them this way without the treats.

It may have saved their lives that night.

AC
 

sillyjilly

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 4, 2005
Messages
8,730
Purraise
35
Location
Here... or There... Hmmm
Very glad everything turned out well after that ordeal! The good thing is the kitties should forgive you in a day or two with lovin's, treats, and scritches!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

Something that can be very helpful in emergency situations is to train your cats to come to a specific call.
Easier said than done I'm afraid. The fire alarm is right outside my door and you can't imagine the noise it generates. Abby does come when I call her but the alarm is so loud that it sends her into hiding. Spencer and Katie are still trying to figure out their names.
 

carolpetunia

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Messages
9,669
Purraise
17
Location
Plano, Texas
I am SO GLAD you're moving! With your mobility problems, a high-rise is the last place you need to be... I can't imagine how scary it would be if you had to try to evacuate on your own. What if the firefighters couldn't get to you? Do your neighbors know to come and help you?
 
Top