There was just a fire in my apartment building

[Magill]

At about 1 AM, I woke up a little bit dazed to a dull alarm. Since I'm a normally slow ariser, it took me a while to realize that it was the building fire alarm.

I thought it was a prank at first until I opened the door to the hallway and smelled smoke. I woke up my boyfriend, waited for him to get dressed (I had fallen asleep in my clothes) and headed outside. I live on the top floor (6) of an old hotel built in the 1920s (very thick concrete ceilings and walls).

We were taking a stairwell that had a glass wall separating it from the hallways on each floor. It got a bit more smokey until the first floor--when I looked down that hallway, I couldn't see anything.

Shortly after we got outside, the fire engines had arrived. From what I gather, everyone got out okay. One of the live-in caretakers had gone around to a lot of the upper floors to pound on doors to get people to come out (I guess there used to be a lot of false alarms here).

After about an hour and a half, they got the fire under control (it was on the first floor on the opposite end of the "U" of our building from where I'm at). I've got my windows open to clear the last of the smoke.

So I'm thankful that it seems like no one was hurt and that none of my stuff was damaged. Now I just need to finally get renter's insurance (I've been meaning to do it for a while, this is just the kick in the pants that I need).

[pfrsue]

Wow!!! I'm very glad you're okay, along with the other folks in the building!

Sue

[MarsNeedsTowels]

Coincidentally, there was a fire in my apartment building tonight as well, but earlier in the evening. It was contained in the apartment it started in and nobody was hurt thankfully.

The only problem is that there are so many false alarms in this building that most of the tenants aren't even phased by them. I suppose that's how it is with alot of buildings, especially when many of the tenants are families with children and teenagers. I see kids running through the hallways unsupervised all the time.

[Magill]

I found a webcast of a local news snippet that featured the fire. They said one resident was treated for smoke inhalation and a firefighter was injured.

I tried to snoop around the area but it was cordoned off with caution tape--in their work to isolate the fire and eliminate any smoldering, the firefighters cut through some electrical wires. The neighboring units had some smoke and water damage (and ax damage) so those residents couldn't go home.

[PoolMan]

Glad everyone who suffered a fire in the past 24 hours is okay. Now stop playing with matches!

[dajaymann]

On a wholly unrelated note, I bought myself a car today. Yup, a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport. Perfect for ruining the environment and running over all those pesky Miatas on the road today. Best of all, it has a sunroof, which kinda puts me on a level never achieved by any of my many ancestors.

Oh, and maybe I'll add a vanity fire extinguisher later next week.

[synchondrosis]

I'm glad everybody got out safe.

[Hucklebubba]

I'm also glad everyone got out safe, and I'm almost as glad that I got to up my postcount by one while relating my gladness.