MeaganS Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I was in my room and I heard the doorbell ring at about 9:00. My husband had a bunch of youth from church over playing Rock Band so they didn't hear it. When I went to check it, it was a neighbor pointing next door. The house was completely engulfed in flames! I've never seen anything like it. I went and got my husband and my in-laws (who we live with). Aparently the family had lit a fire in the fireplace and the chimney caught on fire. They called 911 but because this is a new neighborhood right outside of city limits, 911 didn't even know where we were. Then they didn't know which firetruckto send (we're right on the border of 3 different cities) . It took 15 minutes to get the firetrucks here (we're 3 minutes away from the nearest firestation) and because everyone's on wells, there was no fire hydrant to use. They had to wait another 10 minutes for a tank truck to come. By that time it was too late and they mostly spent their time watering down the house next to them so that it wouldn't catch on fire because the wind was blowing that way. My FIL checked on the older couple whose house it was and they didn't have shoes or a jacket (it was raining). So he brought them some shoes and socks and a few hoodies. I felt really sad for them because they always walk their dogs while I play with DD1 outside in the afternoon and they say hello and chat. They're really nice. They were able to get their car out of the garage, but that's about it. It really made us think, because apparently we're not in 911's system at all, so that definitely needs to be fixed. It's sad that it would have been avoidable to such an extent, but now there's nothing left. Just 3 of the brick walls. And it was such a beautiful house too. Things like that shake you up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 How upsetting and how sad -- thankfully, they are unharmed. Three weeks ago, a local family (we know them from basketball) lost their house in a fire - it happened in the middle of the day, thankfully no one was home, but their dog perished. The firefighters were summoned by the home security system, but the house burned to the ground. So sad. Prayers for them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Oh my goodness, how frightening!! Thank heavens the family got out safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 :( How sad! I will be praying for them also! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarleneW Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 How scary. Our house burned down my senior year of highschool and let me tell you, there is nothing like standing there watching your house burn. We were in the process of moving so most of our stuff was at the new house, but we still lost quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEJE Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Oh how sad! I am so glad the family was able to get out safely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Did the dogs get out safely, too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Oh how scary!!!! I'm so glad they all made it out safely. How are you doing? You must be pretty shaken up too. We had a house burn down. We weren't living there, but we had renters. They had just had a baby. The mom heard the alarms, came upstairs and the room next to where the baby was was fully engulfed in flames. She grabbed the baby and made it out okay. But, the house was gone. I hope they have good insurance. We dealt with the insurance company and have a GREAT one. They paid for everything!! The house is gorgeous!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 How scary and sad!!! How "new" is this house? I'm sure there will be an investigation by the insurance but I am wondering if there was some poor construction to have a newer chimney catch on fire. I'm glad everyone is okay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 We ran into this accidently some years ago, but thankfully not in such a tragic situation. A dispatcher that I talked to at the time commented that she always recommended calling the non-emergency number to check on this if you moved into a brand new house. I don't think most people know to do this though, as you found out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patchfire Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Oh no! How sad for them. But please, please, spend the time NOW to make sure you are in the 911 system. Make sure the system knows who to alert for fire, police, ambulance - the whole shebang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 We ran into this accidently some years ago, but thankfully not in such a tragic situation. A dispatcher that I talked to at the time commented that she always recommended calling the non-emergency number to check on this if you moved into a brand new house. I don't think most people know to do this though, as you found out. We moved into a new house in 2005 and it never even occurred to me to find out if we were on the 911 system. Looking back now, I'd say it was just something we assumed because of all the permits and whatnot that need to filed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooling Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I was in my room and I heard the doorbell ring at about 9:00. My husband had a bunch of youth from church over playing Rock Band so they didn't hear it. When I went to check it, it was a neighbor pointing next door. The house was completely engulfed in flames! I've never seen anything like it. I went and got my husband and my in-laws (who we live with). Aparently the family had lit a fire in the fireplace and the chimney caught on fire. They called 911 but because this is a new neighborhood right outside of city limits, 911 didn't even know where we were. Then they didn't know which firetruckto send (we're right on the border of 3 different cities) . It took 15 minutes to get the firetrucks here (we're 3 minutes away from the nearest firestation) and because everyone's on wells, there was no fire hydrant to use. They had to wait another 10 minutes for a tank truck to come. By that time it was too late and they mostly spent their time watering down the house next to them so that it wouldn't catch on fire because the wind was blowing that way.My FIL checked on the older couple whose house it was and they didn't have shoes or a jacket (it was raining). So he brought them some shoes and socks and a few hoodies. I felt really sad for them because they always walk their dogs while I play with DD1 outside in the afternoon and they say hello and chat. They're really nice. They were able to get their car out of the garage, but that's about it. It really made us think, because apparently we're not in 911's system at all, so that definitely needs to be fixed. It's sad that it would have been avoidable to such an extent, but now there's nothing left. Just 3 of the brick walls. And it was such a beautiful house too. Things like that shake you up. Where in AR did this happen? My mom just lost her home and everything in it in a fire. I found a non-profit that helps in situations like this and they may be able to help your neighbors. They provided my mom and sister with clothes, shoes, money, dishes, laundry detergents, coats, decorations for the new home, blankets, sheets, pillows, and so much more. They are in ARK and depending on where you are, it might work out they could help your neighbors too! You might want to PM me in case I don't see your reply here. I can get you in touch with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Oh my goodness!! My heart goes out to them! I'm glad they are physically okay. I'm sure this will be tough though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFwife Claire Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 Oh, I think we know the parents of this family (the dad's parents). We have been praying for them too. So scary to think about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirth Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 But please, please, spend the time NOW to make sure you are in the 911 system. Make sure the system knows who to alert for fire, police, ambulance - the whole shebang. Agreed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 You know house fire scare me. The are one of the most common causes of household fatalities. ONe thing that really worries me is being able to get all my cats out. They are declawed, have never been outside and are hard to find on a good day and almost impossible to get into cages. It would simply take too much time. I know it is probably a silly thing to worry about but I do. Our neighbors house caught fire and the fire department was here in no time so that is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeefreak Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 We have had a dryer fire (inside the electrical equipment), a toaster fire and a stove fire. My heart goes out to your neighbors. We have been lucky that our fires were easily extinguished, but I was pretty shaken up by them. :grouphug: Dorinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 Oh, I think we know the parents of this family (the dad's parents). We have been praying for them too. So scary to think about! I was thinking the same thing. I haven't seen the family with the other fire since their early marriage days, but the parents were my college mentors. A fire would be so devastating. It is especially frustrating when there seems to be confusion on who is supposed to respond. To the op: It would be good to have a conversation with your local emergency response folks to make sure that your neighborhood is placed entirely into the 911 database and that there are proper responses coded for fire, emergency medical and police. When we lived in military housing in Hawaii, there were folks in the neighborhood who had to get into arguements with 911 over who had responsibility for emergency response, the local fire department or the base department. I was scary that this was even something that had to be discussed. It was even more frustrating that the fix took more than one conversation to get a satisfactory answer. This isn't something that I would let sit. The next emergency call could involve the delay of an ambulance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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