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Fire!
Some say the world will end in fire...
Monday, May 14, 2001
In the middle of the night, I was having some weird dream. Suddenly a loud bang or thump woke me. "What the ---?!" It was only 4:30 in the morning! I was naked in bed, but made my way to my apartment door to investigate. I was so deeply asleep that it took a few minutes to figure out what was going on! Oooo, this could be bad. I heard a beeping noise. I poked my head out of the door and smelled smoke. Time to go! So I went back to my bedroom and threw on pants (with keys in the pocket) and a tshirt. I picked up my shoes and purse, and put my contact lens case in my pocket. I left my door unlocked (always do this in a fire, or the firefighters will have to break it down to make sure your place is empty!), banged on a few doors, then dashed outside. Once I was there, it was clear that the fire was between my building and the building next door -- horrible flames and smoke! (It was raining, wouldn't you know it!) People were coming out of both buildings, so I gathered with folks on the corner. Someone had already called 911, and the fire trucks arrived in about five minutes. Everyone was asking each other about who in the building was home. What about the elderly folks? Had they gotten out ok? Yes, Scooter (she's like her name, very lively) was present in her robe and slippers, carrying her shoes (I put mine on, too). Mrs. Schwartz made it out from the basement, and I heard that Ruth from the third floor (mostly housebound) had gotten out the stairs to the alley. After about an hour, the fire department brought in a city bus for us to hang out in. This kept most of us together, and warm and dry. It was parked a block away in front of the 7-11, so I went in and bought a bottle of Diet Coke. A neighbor had a pocket mirror, so I managed to get my contact lenses into my eyes. Now I could see what was going on! We got good reports from various firefighters, including the chaplain. The fire was knocked back, then put out, in a relatively short time. My first fear, that the building would be destroyed, was soothed. We were still in for a world of hurt, though! I talked with bunches of neighbors while we waited, discussing various building issues. We'd been futzing around with replacing siding on the upper stories for as long as I've lived here, over ten years! So now we'll get that done; we must. Finally they said we could return, except for those in the front apartments across the hall from me, on all three floors. Yuck! There is smoke damage and water damage in the halls. Fortunately, the only damage for me at first glance was a bit of water on the floor, which I got wiped up quickly. I decided to throw the small rug by the door in the trash; it was a Goodwill find and not worth trying to get it clean and dry. A few towels took care of the rest.
Wow! I'm tired from staying up too late last night (and waking up early today and yesterday), but I'm in pretty good spirits (shock?). I called my sister M---- and Jack, for fear they would see the news coverage. I think I might sleep the morning away, after I take a bath. There will be a building meeting and potluck tonight, which I probably should attend.
I did go to the meeting tonight, after getting dressed in my dance clothing. I thought I'd make it to the Monday night dance up in Greenwood, but the meeting took too long. It was run pretty well, considering the idiosyncrasies of the folks in the building. We'll be in for a long period of reconstruction, with many issues to consider. I feel guilty that I didn't volunteer to be on the committee, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it right now. |
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