greasemonkey Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Last night was a night pretty much like any other, I walked the dog about 10pm and then went to bed with wifey and the dog and read a little bit. About the time we turned off our reading lights, we started hearing some shouting. Domestic distubances are pretty rare in our condo's, but not totally unheard of, so we just sat up and listened for a couple of minutes. When we started hearing some extremely loud crashing noises, my wife jumped out of bed and ran to the window & said there were flashing lights ...then said "Oh my god ...the building across from us is on fire!!!" I can't think of any words that can wake you up that fast & get you moving faster than those! We flew out of bed & ran downstairs and outside. Smoke was billowing from the end apartment directly across the yard from us. I talk to the woman who lives there practically every day; we know each other because our dogs are friends, so we spend a lot of time gabbing while the dogs play. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I didn't even know her name ...I know her dog's name, but I didn't know hers until last night. Her teenage son has an old Chrysler 5th Ave he's always tinkering with, and being the good greasemonkey neighbor that I am, I've often have helped him with it. Her other son was home on leave from the marines and just left about two weeks ago; I believe he was shipping back out to Iraq for the second time. So the folks aren't exactly strangers to us. Yet somehow we didn't even know their names. How strange is that?! The crashing noises were the sounds of the firefighters breaking down the doors of the apartments next to the one on fire, and the most heartbreaking sound of all were of my neighbors boy screaming over and over "Where's my Mom?!" The smoke was billowing directly from her bedroom window. I looked at my watch and it was 11:15. Just an hour before I had walked right by the place & noticed nothing at all wrong. It's amazing to me how fast things can happen in life. Shortly after we came out of our house a firefighter emerged from the front door with our neighbor and promptly collapsed himself; the paramedics loaded her on a stretcher and rushed her off while the other firemen tended to their man & gave him an oxygen mask ...he sat up fairly quickly and seemed fine. The firemen did a hell of a job, they had the fire out in no time, and it never had the chance to spread to any of the neighboring apartments; the fire station is right next door to us, so we were lucky in that respect. I lost a neice last year in a house fire, and learned a new kind of respect for those guys, and also as for how quickly a fire can go out of control. One of the firemen was at the funeral; he had gone into the house against orders to try to save her. His arms were bandaged from the burns he recieved, and he cried his heart out at the funeral. Those guys are fucking heroes in my book. It was pretty chaotic after that. Nobody knew very much, and when it seemed there was nothing we could do, my wife helped me back inside and we went to bed & tried to sleep. Sleep took a long time for both of us. We had no idea about our neighbors condition until this morning; our fears had been that she hadn't made it. I called the police department as soon as I got up this morning, and they were pretty great. The girl got my number & called me back within 5 minutes to let me know she was indeed alive & stable, which was a pretty huge relief. I just found out a bit ago that she is in the burn unit with 30% of her body burned, but still alive. I cried (hell, I'm still crying about it off and on) when I found out her little dog wasn't as fortunate. Remarkable thing that somehow it's easier to cry, or feel a deeper connection to the animals, but I know it's true. In the movies, no matter how many people die, its when the dog dies that really grabs those heartstrings the hardest. When I was 17, I had a radiator blow up on my chest. I had first and second degree burns on most of my chest, and my right arm & leg had somewhat more minor burns. Silvadene had only been developed a year or so before, so I would have been scarred for life had it not been for that little "miracle drug." As it is, one can't tell I was burned at all now. I don't envy her for the next few months (if she even survives; I haven't found out where the burns are yet); my burns were from water & steam and mostly just first degree with smaller patches of second degree; it was still one of the most painful experiences I've ever been through. No freakin wonder the christians use "hell" as being a place of fire to depict eternal suffering. Time (and a little more information) will tell whether my neighbor is "lucky to be alive" or not. Either way won't be pleasant for anyone involved. The whole situation affirms every reason why I don't believe in biblegod. Sometimes bad shit just happens to good people. My neighbor is definately one of those good people. I only hope for the best for she and her son. Thus ends my rant for now. Thanks for hearing me vent & everyone try to send some good vibes her way... she and her son can probably use a lot of em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white_raven23 Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Wow. Your poor neighbor. I hope she winds up okay in the end. What a rough night for you and your wife too. It's times like these that remind us how a single hour can change our lives forever. Remember to treasure those people in your life. Call your Mom and Dad. Buy your Wife some flowers. Get your Dog a new toy. And here's a hug for you. ((((((((HUUUUUGGG))))))))) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasemonkey Posted March 17, 2006 Author Share Posted March 17, 2006 ((((((((HUUUUUGGG))))))))) Thanks WR I'm getting more and more of the story as the the day progresses. It's sad about M (my neighbor); one of my other neighbors was in there with a fire extinguisher shortly after it started. Apparently she dumped an ashtray into the garbage in the kitchen and a cigarette wasn't put out all the way. The boy smelled the smoke & was trying to put it out with the little faucet sprayer on the sink, then realized it was too much and ran got one of the other neighbors and he brought his big fire extinguisher. He thought the fire was almost out when his extinguisher ran out, then the fire flared back. He said it was unbelievable how fast the fire took off from there. M got trapped upstairs because she wouldn't leave without her dog... Damn. I want to be upset about that detail, but in the same position ...I know good and well I'd do the same freakin' thing. My little mutt and my wife are the most important things in my life. One of the guys told me they tried really hard to save the dog (she was a cute little minature dauchsund named "Katie-bug") ...the next firefighter in got the dog out & two parmedics worked on it for nearly half an hour before it died. M is stable, but they said in the burn cases like that, the first 48 hours are pretty critical and could swing either way. The other neighbor guy is having a hard time too. Said he keeps trying to figure out what he could have done differently. He knows the answer, he just says he can't stop thinking about it... Hell, I still keep thinking "If I had just walked the dog 15 minutes later..." Silly, but the mind just wants to go there I guess... thanks for the flower idea! I'm on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Wow, I don't even know what to say. How terrible for your neighbor. Please know that we are thinking of her and hoping for the absolute best for her and her son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothartx Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Wow... that's a very moving story. I hope for the best for M and her son! I think I'll check on my fire extinguisher when I get home. It's under the kitchen sink, I think... Let us know how it turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 *sending good vibes* Burns can be nasty and take a long while to heal from... as you know. It sounds like she'll be okay though. Anyways, wow... we have had a couple of house fires in our neighborhood lately. I hope her son is okay to go to Iraq... I wonder if they will let him stay until she's stabilized. Do you know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 I think I saw that story on the news this morning. Very tragic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasemonkey Posted March 17, 2006 Author Share Posted March 17, 2006 *sending good vibes* Burns can be nasty and take a long while to heal from... as you know. It sounds like she'll be okay though. Anyways, wow... we have had a couple of house fires in our neighborhood lately. I hope her son is okay to go to Iraq... I wonder if they will let him stay until she's stabilized. Do you know? If I'm correct (and I think I am), her oldest boy *already* shipped out about two weeks ago. I figure he'll be on the first flight back, though. My older brother was in the Navy during the first Gulf War when my Grandfather died & they shipped him back home immediately (they gave him two weeks emergency leave). I sure hope our military hasn't changed that much in the last decade or so... Nobody is saying much about her condition. Her ex-husband was here earlier talking with the Red Cross. I didn't get to speak with her ex, but one of the Red Cross guys said it was two early to say anything; the first 48 hours are strictly observation with severe burn victims. I didn't get the "life hanging by a thread" vibe from anyone, so I can hope things will be okay. The homeowners organization is working on setting something up for those of us who want to help and I hope to hear back from them sometime soon. She did have insurance, so I'm really thankful for that. I think I saw that story on the news this morning. Very tragic. Did you see it online or on TV? DMN and WFAA are the only ones I've checked for online... I think I'll check on my fire extinguisher when I get home. It's under the kitchen sink, I think... Let us know how it turns out. I think I'm going to be buying extinguishers for every room this weekend. We have none. And I'll keep certainly keep posting... thanks all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-COG Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Here's hoping she'll be OK and recover quickly! I've got an extiguisher, but it's been awhile since I've checked it to see if it's still charged. I haven't checked the batteries in my smoke detector lately either. The little things we forget about until it's too late? Greasemonkey, don't be embarrassed by not knowing her name. Today's society is like that (unfortunately), I know those living on either side of me and the house behind me, but not anyone else in my neighborhood. Heck, we might know more about someone on this forum than in our community. Something like a fire often spurs you to change, though. Maybe I'll go for more walks in my neighborhood, stop and talk to people, get to know them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasemonkey Posted March 17, 2006 Author Share Posted March 17, 2006 Here's hoping she'll be OK and recover quickly! I've got an extiguisher, but it's been awhile since I've checked it to see if it's still charged. I haven't checked the batteries in my smoke detector lately either. The little things we forget about until it's too late? Greasemonkey, don't be embarrassed by not knowing her name. Today's society is like that (unfortunately), I know those living on either side of me and the house behind me, but not anyone else in my neighborhood. Heck, we might know more about someone on this forum than in our community. Something like a fire often spurs you to change, though. Maybe I'll go for more walks in my neighborhood, stop and talk to people, get to know them. My wife and I joke (sorta) that if wasn't for the dog, we wouldn't know anybody here... I'm really not embarrassed persay, because practicly everyone here knows our dog's name, but better than half would likely be at a loss to come up with ours; it just feels weird (like you said) that it takes something like this to make us realize those little things we don't know about people around us. On the same note though, I know a lot about people around here (ie. what they are like as people & neighbors), even if I suck at the names. My retired next-door neighbor babysits our dog for us when we go out of town all the time (since the year after we moved here), and we never even knew his last name until we saw it on the caller ID after three years! Crazy! ...gotta love good neighbors, and I have tons of em! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizard Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Wow..I know what you mean about not knowing your neighbors until something happens.. Sending good vibes to your neighbor and her family. And..I know my extinguisher is empty. My middle son thought it would be fun to "extinguish" his brother a few years ago..and we've never had it recharged. Guess I should take care of that in the morning.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasemonkey Posted March 18, 2006 Author Share Posted March 18, 2006 Short update: M is on a respirator; the odds on her surviving the night is considerably less than 50%. Not very much good news so far... It's hard, because I'm kind of torn about whether to hope she lives or just dies quickly; her lungs apparently substained some pretty major damage and the burns may be worse than I initially heard. The Red Cross guys words about "the next 48 hours" have gotten a little clearer now that I know about the lung damage. The rumor mill can often be hard to take reliably, but the talk of the last few hours hasn't sounded very encouraging. Gotta wonder which is better for her at this point; life or death. My wife brought up how crushing it will/would be to find out her little doggie died. Had the dog lived, at least she could feel she saved the dog despite the injuries in doing so. It sounds horrible, but I would have a hard time dealing with the fact that I substained such horrible damage trying to save my dog, and still wasn't able to actually succeed... Probably best not to let the mind wander down those avenues. Reality is hard enough without thinking about the "ifs" too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 18, 2006 Share Posted March 18, 2006 *Sends hugs* I have to say, I've been the one in the burning house -- though I wasn't harmed, my housemate didn't make it out. So I completely understand what it is like to go through that. Something like that is always terrible because you don't think it'll happen to you, and when it does your entire world shatters. I am glad to hear that you weren't harmed and your neighbor is still alive. And of course, I'm sorry to hear about the dog. Pets can be family, too. Please keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godlessgrrl Posted March 18, 2006 Share Posted March 18, 2006 Aw, hell. I have a mini weenie dog. And I'd probably be a stubborn butthead and die trying to save her too. Smeg. Just... smeg. I'm so sorry for your neighbor, and her dog, and jeez - her human family. :( I just double checked both our smoke detctors and our CO detector too. And as soon as I can move out of this fucking Depression-era wired, woodstove-heated tinderbox, I'm outta here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyn Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 (((Hugs to you and to your neighbor))) We had a fire in our house in 1993. A dining room chair upon which we had tossed a couple of jackets got knocked over on the the old floor heater, probably by the dog, just as it turned on in the morning. We had it on an automatic thermostat at the time. (Now the heater is not on unless someone is present, awake, and alert to its operation). I came out of the bedroom hallway to discover a "campfire" burning in our living room. Scariest sight and sound ever! We got it mostly out but saw flames coming from the floor near the heater so called the fire dept. They arrived quickly as the station is close by and made sure it was out. They said in another 20 minutes the beams under the floor would have caught and the whole house would have gone up. Scary scary scary! Since then, any smell of smoke gets both my husband and I up and around looking for the source. Took me awhile to not freak out when I heard the crackling of a fire in a fireplace. Woo, takes something like this to appreciate your family, dog, neighbors, life... Good vibes to your neighbor and to her family... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasemonkey Posted March 19, 2006 Author Share Posted March 19, 2006 Update: M's blood pressure has come up today and the doc's are starting to sound a little bit more optomistic about her outlook for survival. It turns out the burns were much worse than the earlier prognosis; it seems that about 30% of her body is 3rd degree burns, with much more area in the 1rst & 2nd degree range. She's going to have a long go of things and multiple surgeries in her future provided she even survives the next few days. Of course she is being kept sedated, and that will probably continue for quite some time. So for a much needed upside to the situation, M's mother said that the pouring out of support from pretty much everyone has been wonderful; they have actually been a little bit overwhelmed with all of it. The Red Cross has given her teenage son an apartment to stay in, and his ROTC chapter from school has been working towards making sure he will have all he might need for the remainder of the school year (I volunteered a computer if he had the need, but they insinuated he would be fine in that regard). I believe they are also providing M's mother a place to stay up here at least until things reach some sort of stability. I didn't get any word about her son in the marine corp. M apparently had some pretty good insurance, so at least financially the family won't have too many worries. I was really happy that her Mom finally released the room (ICU) info and such to us. I doubt that anyone here will elect to get in the way for a bit ...I think we all know the family needs a bit of space for a while; but cards and such are welcome. Personally, I think I'll elect to wait for a bit, probably until M is able to be brought awake. I'm sure I'll have the chance to visit with her son sooner rather than later, but I'm content to give the rest of the family plenty of space for a while... Aw, hell. I have a mini weenie dog. And I'd probably be a stubborn butthead and die trying to save her too. I've had quite a few conversations about this with numerous people over the last couple of days. Funny how we dog-owners are (cat-owners too, I have two cats also...); people without pets largely can't seem to fathom how close we get to our critters. I heard that the percentage of people who "go back into a fire" that actually make it out again is pretty small. I read stats on how fast a building can burn to the ground. I still don't think I could leave any of my "kids" regardless of statistics... It was a little less cut-and-dried with M; she just thought "there was time." I guess we never really know what we'd do until it actually happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 A building can burn pretty fast. I was told by the fire fighters that if I'd been in there just a little bit longer, the floor would have caved in and I'd have been toast. (The floor did cave in, but not til after I got out.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasemonkey Posted March 19, 2006 Author Share Posted March 19, 2006 A building can burn pretty fast. I was told by the fire fighters that if I'd been in there just a little bit longer, the floor would have caved in and I'd have been toast. (The floor did cave in, but not til after I got out.) Sure thankful you made it out! When my neice died last year, they said the fire went start to finish in about a half-hour ...amazing in a morbid kind of way. No new updates on M. I spoke with one of the neighbors who spoke to her mom this morning, and she said it was still the same with few changes. Barring infection, she stands a much better chance of survival than previously thought. I still haven't heard anything more about her lung damage, only that she is still on the respirator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Thanks for the update. I'm glad she has a decent chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasemonkey Posted March 20, 2006 Author Share Posted March 20, 2006 Thanks for the update. I'm glad she has a decent chance. Latest update: I spoke with M's son (the one in the marine corps) just a little while ago and also got to meet M's older sister. It turns out he was in Hawaii when he got the word, and he was at the hospital here within 24 hours (pretty damn good time)! He said they really don't mess around much in the corps when it comes to family emergencies. I was glad to hear the military hasn't changed much in that regard. The news is looking pretty good; although she is still on the respirator (and will remain so for the immediate future) and they still haven't been able to guage the full extent of the damage to her lungs, the burns are mostly on her back and stomach area (all third degree); at least her face, neck and arms & legs are largely okay. She's an attractive lady & that would be terrible to deal with on top of all the other stuff. They will be starting some skin-grafting surgeries perhaps as soon as tomorrow. It's probably going to be a long slow road to recovery. The family is very optomistic and really were appreciative of all the support. I was glad they were so open about sharing details, her son "B" said he would stop by as often as possible. They said the younger son is still having some problems with "survivors guilt," but were very optomistic he'd be fine given time; B said he's a tough kid and has a lot of really good friends & support. I kind of got a kick out of B's pride in his little brother, he absolutely radiated it. My next older brother & I never had a very good relationship until 15 years or so after he got out of the house; it almost felt weird to see someone have so much pride & confidence in his lil bro! They seem to be pretty cool folks! The family didn't have any idea about the firefighter who collapsed after getting M out. My wife and I and two other neighbors were the only ones with a vantage point directly looking at the front door when it happened. M's sister nearly started crying and B wanted to know if I happened to have gotten the guys name; unfortunately, I couldn't give him much info except to point out where the station was (practically right next door). They said they wanted to go and meet the guy. It made me feel really good to pass along that information to the family. Well, that's all for now! Thanks to all for all the kind words! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white_raven23 Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Thanks for keeping us up to date! I hope your neighbor pulls through! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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