They're safe

Was it that great philosopher, John Lennon, who once said that life is what happens when you are busy making other plans?

Last Tuesday evening, I was working on a nasty-gram to eventually send to John Deere corporate about the lousy customer service we’re getting on our riding mower. It’s a beautiful piece of writing, if I do say so myself. I just have to wait until the Gold Star Authorized Dealer actually looks at our mower and thinks to call us about it before I can finally mail the letter. He seems very aware that he’s the only game in town. While catharsising, the phone rang. It was my mom. She was standing in the street in front of my parents' house, watching the house burn.

I got back yesterday. The few days since the 3rd have zipped by like years. The most important news is that aside from a first degree burn on Dad’s hand and some coughing and throat irritation from the smoke, both Mom and Dad are fine.

They were both home when the fire started. The power went out. A few seconds later, Mom noticed an orange glow coming through their shutters. She opened the shutters to find a wall of flames. Some yelling got Dad out of the house. Some frantic dialing to 911 resulted in ten rings and then an “all circuits are busy” message. A pounding at the door got Mom out of the house and neighborly reassurance that 911 had already been called. Keys and a purse were tossed out the front door. Neighbors swooped in to move Mom and Dad’s cars and RV away from the house so they wouldn’t explode. The first of 3 fire crews arrived and had to threaten Dad with arrest to get him to drop his garden hose. More neighbors and some TV news crews quickly joined them on the street. A camerman said they had seen the smoke from several miles away so they jumped in their news van to track it down. While sitting in the ambulance, Mom decisively declined an interview.

I got there about 18 hours later, after the smoke had cleared. When I hugged them at the airport, both Mom and Dad smelled like a campfire. They also looked tired, stunned, and grateful to see a very familiar face.

From the front of the house, you can’t tell anything out of the ordinary has happened. The fire was in the back. It was started by a sparking electrical line. The power company is pretty confidently at fault. The fire never made it inside the house other than the attic. This is the blessing of a metal roof, double-paned windows, plantation shutters, and quick reactions by all involved. Nothing inside the house broke or burned. The interior damage is all water and smoke. As soon as I walked in the front door, I smelled smoke. At first, I liked the smell. Happy campfire smell. After about 10 minutes, that smell got real old. Just a brief tour of the house allowed the odor to seep into my clothes, my skin, and my hair.

It was hard to see the damage downstairs. There’s no power. I kept wanting to flip on a light. A bunch of windows blew out from the heat and the holes were boarded up. The carpet squished as we walked on it. Upstairs, we got several views into the attic. We didn’t need a ladder. Fire crews had cut about six holes in the ceiling to access the fire and let the smoke and pressure escape. There were pieces of ceiling all over the floor. The rafters were black. Over the few days I was there, some of the ceiling holes got bigger as the dry wall became very wet wall and collapsed. The kitchen counter had several framed photos on it for safe keeping. The fire crew had taken them off the walls in the hallway so they wouldn’t be damaged. They had also moved furniture and covered it with tarps to protect it. This while fighting the fire. We’re still shaking our heads in amazement and gratitude.

Mom said during the fire, she watched smoke pour out of their porch lights and roof vents. The worst of the fire was on a corner of the house with some decking and fencing. Part of the wrought iron fencing bent and curved in the heat. Some plastic faux-wood decking melted. It now looks like wavy rebar. The plastic cover for the water meter melted. A wooden deck is completely charred. Even two days later, it was making the light crackling noise of fresh but extinguished embers.

Current repair estimates are 4-5 months. Mom and Dad signed a 6-month lease on a nearby apartment. Two insurance adjusters arrived yesterday. It was a very good day. They will be taken care of. Mom and Dad have never done any remodeling. I’ve only had two relatively small remodels. Both drove me nuts. I’ve tried to prepare them. I’m sure I don’t have a clue, either, what decisions, challenges, and frustrations they’ll face in the months ahead. But, on the bright side, they finally got rid of the wallpaper they hated in the bathroom. And they got a head-start on some clearing they were dreading for some future landscaping. And it turns out they have a gorgeous view out of their bedroom. Up until Tuesday night, it was covered by trees. And the very brightest side – they are safe and unharmed.