OMG I had to call the Fire department!

My heart is still beating fast and I'm shaking like a leaf! Earlier I noticed my refrigerator wasn't working so I looked behind it and it looked like the plug had slipped out. I couldn't see real well because it is dark back there. Anyway, I stuck a broomstick in there to push the plug back in all the way and a fire started. Not just sparks but a full blown fire! So I called the fire department. By the time they got here the fire appeared to be out. But they came in and shut off all the power, moved the fridge out and unplugged it. When they unplugged it sparks still came out even though the main power was out. So they chopped the wall out with an axe to make sure there wasn't a fire inside the walls. They disconected the wiring to that outlet and said it should be fine for me. I felt bad for calling them but they said not to feel bad because if I hadn't noticed it or called them, I might not be here tomorrow to talk about it. It was a very dangerous situation! Scared the crap out of me because last night there was a big fire in an apartment building in Ogden (a city not far from here) and something like 18 families lost their home and all their posessions. Some even lost their cats. Fires are bad news! YIKES!!

!!!!! I am so glad you are safe! Now do you have a whole in your wall?

The important part is that you are safe, I am assuming no one got hurt? Let me give you a *BIG* HUG! It will get better.

Thanks for posting this, hopfully it will allow at least one person to take a look at what they could do diffently. Clean behid your stove, check all wires for bends or tears, or if it gust looks "old" - then it might be time to revaulate some things.

OMG! I'm so glad you weren't hurt! I would be freaking!
Oh honey, I can't tell you how glad that everything turned out so well for you, even though you were scared s**tless! I'm also glad that you weren't hurt and your cats are ok also!

Thanks! Yeah I'm grateful to still be here to talk about it! Like the fireman said... if I hadn't noticed it and called, my cat's and I wouldn't be around in the morning. Whew!

chixyb, yes I now have a hole in the wall in my kitchen! A small price to pay though. They had to chop the wall down to make sure they got all the fire out.

Talon, You're right! No one was hurt, thank God! I might have a heart attack though! My heart is still beating so fast, my mouth is dry and I'm still shaking! I think I'm starting to settle down a bit now. I just went to the store to get ice and borrowed a couple of coolers from my neighbor. I'll put the coolers outside, since it's so damn cold out there the ice should last awhile!

I can see how I'm spending my week off! Tomorrow it's electrician day (if I can get one out tomorrow) and then it's time to shop for a new fridge. Oh, and fix the wall and paint! Man.... how flippin' scarey was that??

OMG , I would have freak out . I am so glad you were at home and happen to be there .It could have started at any time . Now this is something to be thankful for tonight , you and the babys were save . Praise God . I am so happy you are OK and nothing bad happend . Well there goes the hard earnt money you made

Originally posted by PurrfectCatlove
:Well there goes the hard earnt money you made

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Yeah... But I feel glad to spend that money now. Especially after seeing those 18 families on the news who lost their homes and pets last night. So believe me Hedi, I don't mind one bit spending that money!

I got your PM but I've been too wound up to respond right now! I'll look at it again later or tomorrow morning when I feel sane again!

OMG I'm so happy you are okay!!! I would be SO scared!

Thank god your okay! That must have been so scary for you!

Holy Cow! Tammie, I am so happy that you noticed that! That had to be frightening!!!

I thank God that you & the furkids are ok!

Wowza!! So glad you are ok!! ((( hugs )))

OMG Talk about a lucky escape!!.

Ever since a guy at work said his girlfriends washing machine caught fire while doing a cycle, i never leave the washing machine on when i go out anywhere, which i used to do all the time!.
Susan

I am so glad that everyone is OK! How totally scary!!!! I had a fire here 4 years ago. I will recommend that your first order of business is to call your insurance company. Talk thru what they will cover and not cover for you. After our fire (our main electric line into the house caught fire), we had no electricity so all of our food could have spoiled and we had to go out to eat. Insurance covered that, as well as dry ice to pack into coolers to save the food from the fridge. Also covered smoke damage as well as the obvious electrical and fire damage. We never thought about the little things that are covered in our plan.

When you have calmed down entirely, take an assessment of your house and your emergency plan. Do you have fire extinquishers? An escape route? Important documents kept in your vault or fire safe? A plan to remove your cats to safety? It took us 3 big fire extinquishers to put out our fire before the fire department arrived (without them our house would be gone). Husband put out the fire as I scrambled to get the dogs and cats out of the house (I was literally throwing them out the door without kennels). Made me realize that we were partly prepared, but with a little planning, it could have been better.

Those are good things to think about. Thank God my situation wasn't that bad. But it could have been and it's made me think too. I don't have fire extinguishers so I need to check into that. And make sure they're the type that can handle electrical fires too. I DO have one of those big window stickers that says "Please rescue my pets. I have _____ [number] of cats/dogs.

This morning I woke up to my kitchen being flooded. My refrigerator was a very old self defrosting one with an ancient ice maker in it. So when the disconnected it all the water slowly leaked out in my kitchen over night. I've used all my towels and have wrung out 3 buckets worth of water from my mop! Thank goodness I had one of those big old rag mops around.

The kitties were all scared of the firemen and after the FD left I found 5 kitties huddled down under my desk in my bedroom. That must be where they feel the safest. Hey! Maybe it's because then they know they're protected under thecatsite! LOL. Poor babies. They seem to be over it now though. Peaches is a little miffed that she had to wade through water to get to her food/water bowls. It's mostly cleaned up now but still pretty wet. Jake doesn't care. He's so laid back. Hallie's dishes are in another spot away from the mess. Henrietta is staying perched up high on the top of the cat tree. And Carmella is still hiding somewhere. Peaches seems extra clingy today too. She is right under foot and when I sit down, she is right on my lap. She's such a momma's girl! But she usually isn't clingy at all.

Now that I have the floor pretty much cleaned up, I need to go take a shower and get busy making arrangments.

Originally posted by mzjazz2u
This morning I woke up to my kitchen being flooded. My refrigerator was a very old self defrosting one with an ancient ice maker in it. So when the disconnected it all the water slowly leaked out in my kitchen over night. I've used all my towels and have wrung out 3 buckets worth of water from my mop! Thank goodness I had one of those big old rag mops around.

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Talk about adding insult to injury!! (((((*hugs*)))))

Give your babies extra scritches for me please. They had to be terrified of all the commotion!!

We had something like the sparks happen with the outlet where our microwave is plugged in. DH has an electrician's certification and he says stuff like that usually indicates that water got in the line or on the plug at some point. Is that possible? (Perhaps a leak from somewhere above happened in the wall at some point?)

Originally posted by TTMom
We had something like the sparks happen with the outlet where our microwave is plugged in. DH has an electrician's certification and he says stuff like that usually indicates that water got in the line or on the plug at some point. Is that possible? (Perhaps a leak from somewhere above happened in the wall at some point?)

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No, I don't think water got in the line or wall. The FD says it was the refrigerator that started the whole thing. An electrician came right after the FD got there too. I don't know... but something about the fridge shorting out and a surge going through the outlet and to the electrical lines. The outlet is up on the wall about 3-4 feet and everything inside was dry. And the refrigerator isn't near a water line. Those are all on the other side of the kitchen on a different wall. I didn't have just sparks. It was big flames coming out of the outlet and the wall! It was dark last night so I couldn't see it as well but this morning I see the whole back of the refrigerator and the wall it was on are black. Frightening!

You were so lucky you were home and noticed it! It really is scary. Our range short-circuited and went up in flames on 9/11. I was so numb that day that I really couldn't get upset about the stupid range, but ever since I have regularly checked plugs, and don't leave the house if the washer, dryer or dishwasher is running. That was the second time something like that happened. Years ago my parents were visiting, and rather jetlagged. I let them sleep, put the dishwasher on, and ran to the bakery. When I got back, the kitchen was full of smoke. The dishwasher had shortcircuited. My husband was at work, my parents asleep, and the dog was with me. What if I had been gone longer?

Originally posted by jcat
You were so lucky you were home and noticed it! It really is scary. Our range short-circuited and went up in flames on 9/11. I was so numb that day that I really couldn't get upset about the stupid range, but ever since I have regularly checked plugs, and don't leave the house if the washer, dryer or dishwasher is running. That was the second time something like that happened. Years ago my parents were visiting, and rather jetlagged. I let them sleep, put the dishwasher on, and ran to the bakery. When I got back, the kitchen was full of smoke. The dishwasher had shortcircuited. My husband was at work, my parents asleep, and the dog was with me. What if I had been gone longer?

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Whoa! That is scarey!! Unfortunately it makes things a little difficult to not leave the house with the fridge running.

I freak out when my daughter leaves the curling iron on. And she also had this habit of dropping vitamins and diet pills on the floor. I kept telling her that what might be really good for her could be deadly to my kitties. This was during the time I was laid off so I could constantly go behind her and pick them up. Thank god she seems to have gotten the point now. That really used to piss me off.

I had one other fire incident. About 6 years ago when I still lived in Michigan. My son was home (was about 21 at the time) and decided to make some homemade french fries. So he got out the fryer and turned it on then went to the living room to watch sports on the TV. He set the fryer up next the the fridge, which had papers all over it and wicker baskets on top. The grease got really hot and snapped and caught the papers and baskets on fire. I had to have the whole first floor of my townhouse done and have new appliances. Everything had to be replaced, drywall, floors, carpets, kitchen cabinets, refrigerator, stove... everything! I got a call at work saying, "Is this Tamara Kartz? Ma'am, your house is on fire and you might want to come home." I kept saying "Micah, this is a bad joke!" That is my son's name and he was on the volunteer fire department so I thought he was pulling a fast one. "No ma'am, I'm sorry this is not Micah. This is the Traverse City fire department." Boy, that's a call you don't want to get at work! Or anytime for that matter! My son was ok, by the way. But when I got home and saw him I wanted to kill him!

sometimes people pull the alarm in my building so we always have an action plan: we gather all of the cats as quickly as possible and then put the smaller 2 in a HUGE cat carrier and the biggest one on a leash. only once did i actually have to leave the building (there wasn't a fire luckily) and my neighbour took the cat carrier and i took the biggest cat myself. and we do the action plan everytime, no matter what! at least i know i'm prepared just in case