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House burned down

PurplerainPurplerain Posts: 1,053
edited December 2018 in The potting shed
Today at 12.20 I left my house to see billowing black smoke. It turns out that a house two avenues down caught fire. All the family were out, but it is a mess. I am grateful for my family and my home and garden. 

Please, appreciate what you have and be kind 🦋

SW Scotland
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  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    What a shame  :'(
    The sad news today about a family dying in a house fire. 
    Next door to me caught fire years ago completely destroyed inside. Think it were the TV which caught fire, this were 3am in the morning my dad got the ladders out so they could get out of upstairs window. 
  • PurplerainPurplerain Posts: 1,053
    How awful it must be to lose everything @Perki especially at this time of the year. Fire terrifies me. I don't know yet what caused this, but the whole road was closed off. It was a beautiful house. I can't imagine how that family are feeling today, but at least nobody died.
    SW Scotland
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Christmas tree lights are the culprit usually at this time of the year, dreadful shame for those people to lose everything at this time of the year.
    please make sure you’re lights are not old type, even if they are working and never leave them on when you go out or to bed. 
    Thoughts. go out to those people.

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    It's an awful thing to happen .... I hope they're not too upset and that friends and family can rally round. 

    Same thing happened to my best friends and their family some years ago ... sparks from the woodburner landed on the thatch ......... horrendous ..... fortunately the children were at school, husband at work and my friend was alerted by a neighbour in time to get the children's gerbils/hamsters out of the bedrooms and get the dog to a safe place. 

    Fortunately they were well insured and were able to rent locally until the house was rebuilt ... however they never went back ... they sold it and moved to another house in the village ... they felt better that way. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497

    My first house project fitted with the new compulsary sprinkler system is just being finished on site at the moment. No one is very happy about the new regs but I bet if you speak to someone who's had a house fire they would have wished they'd had them. Most houses don't even bother with a basic fire extinguisher or fire blanket.

    "Candles sparked around 1,000 UK house fires, resulting in nine deaths and 388 casualties, in 2011/12.

    Fairy lights went up in smoke causing 20 fires, while Christmas trees, decorations and cards were also a fire risk and responsible for 47 house fires, leading to 20 non-fatal casualties, across the UK."

    Source: 2011/12 Fire Statistics Great Britain from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    There is picture in the paper this morning of the mother and her 2 young children who died in a house fire at the weekend. It is absolutely heartbreaking.
     We check our smoke alarms every week, and also have bedroom windows where the lower window opens out in case of emergency. The sprinkler system idea is brilliant. 
  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,851
    I'm very aware of fire risks.The first thing I do in a hotel is look for a way out. We also keep a strong rope under the bed,even though there are two smoke alarms and a carbon monoxide one upstairs.
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    @wild edges "the new compulsary sprinkler system" That's in Wales only at the moment?
  • tessagardenbarmytessagardenbarmy Posts: 346
    I unplug anything electrical when not in use. Was very lucky 10 years ago. Was in the kitchen washing up when I heard a clicking sound as if I was pressing the igniter for the gas cooker.  Turned round to look in time to see the front of the cooker go up in flames and the plastic fascia start to melt and drip.on the floor. Grabbed the fire blanket chucked it over cooker grabbed phone, shut all doors and legged it outside . Fire engine  there within 5 minutes  as they had been on standby in nearby town as it was Bonfire night . Turns out the battery operated ignition had faulty wiring and it short circuited.  I was very lucky if it had happened  during the night when asleep it could have been a very different  story even with smoke alarms. 
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Papi Jo said:
    @wild edges "the new compulsary sprinkler system" That's in Wales only at the moment?
    Yes just in Wales. For anyone relying on smoke detectors be aware that most only have a 10 year lifespan before the whole unit needs replacing. That counts for all of them even the mains wired ones. Even if they beep when tested the sensor might only have a percentage of the senstivity it had when new.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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