The Unexpected
It was a beautiful summer day and the beginning of the July 4th holiday weekend. Friends were gathering at our house for a cookout. We have been blessed with a small home located in a quiet New England community surrounded by terrific neighbors. The house is a small cape with a detached two car garage. We were glad the weather was cooperating, after a very rainy week. As we enjoyed wonderful food and having a great time - disaster stuck.

“Dad, the garage is on fire,” panic rising in the voice of my 16-year-old daughter.

“Sure, Kristen, you’re overreacting, I’m sure it’s something small,” I thought to myself. But, as I ran out the back door I gazed in disbelief at the four foot flames running up the rear shelf inside our garage. I was shocked.

Thick black smoke had already filled the ceiling and attic of the garage. I vividly remember the acrid smell and sound of crackling, burning wood. Our cars were literally inches from the flames.

“Cindy, get the car keys,” I shouted to my wife. She panicked and brought me a small fire extinguisher.

“No, we need to move the cars, the fire’s too big,” I said.

Stunned she dropped the fire extinguisher as she stared at the flames behind me. Seconds seem like hours during a crisis. The fire was roaring now.  I then remembered the three camping propane tanks in here. They could explode anytime.

After retrieving the keys, we both jumped in the cars and started backing out of the garage. Thankfully, Cindy got away cleanly but a friend’s car blocked my exit. By the time they found their keys and I backed out of the burning garage, the car’s front end was melted and smoldering. Lumps of melted plastic had dropped onto the hood and even my ankle was hit and burning. Amazingly, I didn’t feel it since I was so focused on getting the cars out before they exploded. I parked the car around the corner, to give the firefighters room.

“I hope somebody called the fire department,” the thought crossed my mind while walking back to the house. Thankfully, both our teen daughters called and then I heard the sirens.

The fire now totally engulfed the garage. The sound of exploding propane tanks and aerosols filled the air. I wanted to help. Maybe I could grab the hose and spray down the house, but I knew the firefighters would yell at me for getting in the way.

Cindy and I were in a dream-like state where everything was happening in slow motion. Neighbors crowded around staring in disbelief. The girls were crying, our friends, who had come by for a holiday cookout appeared bewildered and shocked.

“Huh? Yeah, I guess. I think so,” was all I could say when friends asked if we were okay. But, my lungs were burning and the pain from the big second degree burn blister on my ankle became real. The truth is we were all okay as we aimlessly wandered around.

The second feeling I experienced was guilt. Thoughts filled my head like “I let my family down. Whatever caused the fire was my responsibility.” I presumed it was my stereo since it was on all day. The garage was my domain and I had somehow been stupid enough to allow a blazing fire to erupt.  It had to be some kind of negligence.

Our neighbors were great, especially the Deneen’s across the street. Tom Deneen is a firefighter and helped me work through the feelings of helplessness, guilt and the unknown. In a matter of ten minutes, our lives were turned upside down, with the possibility of losing our home completely. Thankfully, the firefighters contained the flames quickly and saved the house. However, it took many hours to extinguish the smoldering wood.

The heat was so intense the grass around the garage burned, a large pine tree was singed and even our neighbor’s siding, 50 feet away melted. Days later the official cause was undetermined, but the probable culprit was an overheated outlet, since the flames started there. I had both the stereo and a battery charger plugged into the outlet. The firefighters had to shut off the power to the house in case another outlet or the electrical feeds were compromised in the fire. They suggested we use power strips, with a surge protection shut off feature, in the future.

To the Rescue
Since it was a long holiday weekend, the firefighters offered to call the American Red Cross to help us. The Red Cross truck arrived that afternoon. They gave us comfort kits, which included a variety of items such as; a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, comb, and deodorant plus they offered to find us a hotel. The Red Cross even called the hotel and provided three free nights there. They were great.

When we went into the house for our clothes it was dark and smelled of melted plastic. The garage was now a black mass of burned wood, but the house was okay. Still dazed I drove the family to the hotel. Cindy and I couldn’t sleep, but we were safe. Having a clean and quiet place to go, was all we needed. Thank you, American Red Cross - for being there on a holiday weekend and giving our family shelter.

We have rebuilt the garage and replaced many of the items lost. The car is fixed and there are smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and power strips throughout the new garage. We are thankful for the Marlborough Fire Department, our awesome neighbors, homeowners insurance, good contractors and the American Red Cross. We are most grateful that God saved us from a fire that could have easily happened at night while we slept.

A Lesson Learned
You may think disasters don’t happen in your area. You may have never experienced a fire, flood, ice storm, hurricane, tornado or earthquake, like me. I was skeptical of the need to prepare for disaster, but it can happen anywhere. Please sign up for free American Red Cross disaster training and learn the basics of disaster preparedness. You, your family and neighbors need to know how to handle it and prepare for it, before it happens.

 Join HOPE worldwide and the American Red Cross.
Together, we are rebuilding the lives of disaster victims.