Miscellany

Scariest Night of My Life

July 4, 2016

You’ve probably thought through that hypothetical situation, What would you grab if you had to evacuate your house because of a fire?

Tonight — well, technically last night, July 3, and this morning, July 4 — I found out the answer: my laptop, iPhone, iPad and similar electronic devices. The kids did pretty much the same. Cari grabbed her electronics, but also our wedding album and another photo album. All because what we assume is a fireworks-caused fire that began a few hundred yards west of our house, and pretty quickly headed in our direction across the dry, brush-filled fields behind us.

Sean and I noticed the fire at about 11:40 pm, I’d guess. It was off in the distance and seemed to be pretty small. Then it got bigger. We called 911 at 11:45 and they were already aware of the fire. By about 12:15 or 12:20 am, there were 4-5 fire trucks surrounding the fire and it was well under control.

Important note: Firefighters are bad-ass mofo heroes that deserve way more respect and appreciation than any of us give them.

That was probably the scariest 30 minutes of my life. We turned on the sprinklers to wet the back lawn. Sean and I grabbed the hose and dragged it into the back yard in case more water was needed. I woke up my wife and daughter and told them to get dressed and be ready to leave the house. We all grabbed the valuables and put them in our cars. In between all that, I took some photos that I’ll include below, with time stamps.

11:47 pm

11-47

11:51 pm

11-51

12:04 am

12-04

12:06 am

12-06

I think it got as close as 200-300 yards, but it’s hard to tell at night. The photos aren’t great, but that’s what you get in the pitch black with an iPhone.

All I know is we’re safe, there’s ash in our backyard, and the house smells like we just hosted an international cigarette smokers’ convention. And I know what I said above: Firefighters are amazing. Thank God for them.

1 Comment

  • Reply Matt Edward July 4, 2016 at 11:49 pm

    Whoa, close one… Perspective, much?
    Good to know you’re OK.

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