The fireplace, to be exact.
Yesterday, I did some grocery shopping after work, went home, put the food away, said hello to the cats, settled down on the couch... and noticed the smell of gas. Not just a bit, either.
So I get up, pick up my bag, head out the door, turn around... and there is an incredibly loud BAM! WHOOSH!, a huge flash of orange in the fireplace, smoke, and bits of metal and insulation flying.
So I run out, get a neighbor, call 911. While waiting for the fire department to show, I touch the door to make sure it isn't hot, peer in a bit... no fire. So we go in, get the cats, and put them in the neighbor's apartment. Then, the fire department showed up.
We still don't know what happened -- maybe the pilot went out and I accidentally turned on the gas (on switch for our fireplace is next to a light switch). Maybe the wiring was wrong. I'm just glad I'm OK and the cats are OK and our condo didn't catch fire.
Gas and power to the fireplace are now turned off, and I intend to keep them that way. At least until an installation person licensed by the manufacturer of the fireplace can have a look and make sure everything is working properly.
It was quite a shock. I'll need some quiet knitting time tonight after work. Just some calming routine thing that makes me feel safe in my own home again.
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27 comments:
OMG! I'm so glad everyone is ok!
How scary! I'm so glad there wasn't a fire and that you are all fine.
Whoa, girl, no fun AT ALL! I'm glad you and your kitties and everything are fine.
scary.. fire or near fires are real scary.
glad you are OK, and the damage is minimal
Goodness what a fright for you, I am glad you and the cats are allright. Its so good to have neighbours near by isn't it. Take care now. best wishes Julie.C
OMG - how scary! I'm glad everyone is okay.
OMG!!! I'm glad you're all okay!
Thank goodness you're alright, that must have been frightening!
That is scary! I can imagine your nerves are shot. Knitting sounds like a good thing for calming them.
You really showed some good sense in getting up to leave.
holy crap! But glad you are all OK. Do you remember about a year back when a house exploded in Lexington and then Keyspan spent the rest of the year digging up all the streets to fix other lines? Crazy. We have the gas too -- some thing to be extra careful of...
Holy crap! How weird and scary!
OMG!! Thank god you smelled it and got up and out before it exploded! That is so scary!!!
Terrifying! I'm glad you're OK.
I had that happen in our camper trailer with our oven. Singed the hair off my arm. I can't imagine it on a large scale like that!
Yeesh. This is why I don't like gas.
My likes and dislikes aside, I'm just glad it was controlled and that you all aren't hurt.
How scary! Glad you and the kids are okay!
Yikes!!! Glad you all are ok!!
Eek! So glad to hear that you and the kitties are both ok. How scary!
vow, you reacted exactly as you should have, did everything in order, too!
I'm just soooo glad that you and the cats are ok, the appartment still exists, and that you can turn the thing off until it's been checked.
Oh my goodness, what a fright! I'm glad to hear that you and the family are okay. Wonder what in the world happened.
I'm glad you and the kitties are ok! The gas fireplace at work has no ignition switch, so I have to light it with a lighter, and it always makes a big scary WHOOSH! with the gas just being on for three seconds while I light it. I can imagine how scary that was! Did it do any damage?
How scary! So glad you're okay.
Oh wow, that's awful! I'm glad you're all okay!
I'm so glad you're all fine!
It must have been awful...I still remember, er, the learning curve in lighting a vintage oven. *cough*
OMG! So glad you are OK!
Like Bezzie said, I had that on a small scale with a gas oven--singed my eyebrows off. I was rattled for quite some time. BUT MAN, you should have seen how high the cat jumped and how long the hang time was!
Oh my god! Thankfully you got out before getting hurt! Scary!
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