Saturday, October 12, 2013

Things That Go Pop In The Night

The sound of sirens in our neighborhood is never a good sound. The first thing that comes to mind is the elderly ladies who live across the street, my Mom and her ninety-three year old sister. Of course, out here, that's about a city block away. I ran immediately to the front window to see which street the ambulance would turn down, wondering how quickly I could get dressed and get over there if need be. What I saw from the front window of the house was a firetruck making its way down the main drag that separates our homes.

When I looked over in the direction of Grandma's house, my heart nearly jumped out of my throat. There were bright yellow flames that reached above the tree line between us. The night sky was lit up like a white cloud at sunset, with orange tongues of fire reaching even higher than the neighboring homes. I couldn't tell exactly how far away it was so I woke J and he drove over there to investigate. In the meantime, three more firetrucks had screamed their way past our house and turned right on the streets that lead in the direction of Mom's house.

It seemed an eternity before J returned in the truck pulling up the driveway slow as Christmas. My first thought was that he had gathered the ladies and brought them to our house and while my mind worried whether he had rescued Sugar, their cat, I saw that he was alone in the truck. Running outside to meet him at the driveway, I flooded him with inane questions that were self evident by that point.

He groggily let me know that the fire was two streets away and that he had stopped to talk to neighbors, who at that time of the morning, were still up and outside watching the volunteer fire department trying to extinguish the roaring inferno.

The morning after



All they knew was that they were playing video games when they heard a loud pop. When they went outside to look, they saw their neighbor's home engulfed in flames. They dialed 911 but the fire had already been reported and help was on the way.



This is all that remains of what was once someone's home. Perhaps the most disturbing part is seeing the dog houses in the back. Still, I remain eternally grateful that it was not at Mom's house and that they slept peacefully through the night. I whispered a prayer of thanks and went back to bed.


6 comments:

  1. So glad all is well with you and yours, dear Peg. The thought of a fire is so very disturbing for sure. Rest well and have a peaceful evening. Hugs, Maria

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    1. Thank you for dropping in Mar. I'll let the ladies know you were by. Mom's hearing is worrysome and their safety is of great concern. I saw your email about not getting posts. I am not. I wonder why. Your new project seems like a wonderful endeavor to match K9s with Veterans. I'll find you.

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  2. Hello Peg. I am so glad that you report that you and yours are safe. The fire seems to have completely destroyed the structure and the car. Be safe, you are the caregiver for so many right there were you are. J is so good to get up and check on everyone's safety. The volunteer fire department seems to be working.
    Thanks for alerting me to this post.

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    1. Hi Mike, Thank you for the visit and the kind words. Yes, J is always quick to respond when the occasion calls for action. And the volunteer fire department is to be admired - they hop up and do what is needed when called. We watched another house burn to the ground a few years back when a teen lit a fire in someone's garage. Two weeks ago there was a huge fire a couple of miles behind us. I filmed it but the video is too big to post. I'm hoping there is no connection to this blaze.

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  3. Hi Peg, It pays to be the suspicious type in cases like this. Maybe an action plan is in order for your Mom and Sister as well as you and J.

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    1. Hello Mckbirdbks. You're absolutely right about an action plan. Funny that you should mention it as I saw this topic on the evening news tonight. The difficult part is whether Mom and Louise would be able to remember it in a time of crisis.

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