Thanksgiving fire and Huckleberry Pie

We just got back from a month of kayak fishing, dirt biking,watching the Baja 1000,kayaking with dolphins and whale sharks. I put all the gear in the garage and went to bed. Next day we got up and starting pre heating the oven to make huckleberry pies from berries we harvested on the north coast after ab diving and kayak fishing earlier in the year. I smell something burning and think it's got to be from the oven( like an old stuck tater tot or something) and make a joke about it to Jackie. A little while later the smoke detector goes off and i take it down and still think its something from the pre heating that's causing it. I see my neighbor out in the backyard and talk to her about the trip and then come inside. The livingroom is starting to get REALLY smokey and I can see smoke coming up thru the heater vents! Jackie opens the door to the garage and quickly closes it and yells FIRE !!! I have 5 motorcycles, kayak gear, diving gear gas cans and tons of other stuff laying all over the place from unloading the car and trailer. I open the door walk over to the heating furnace and see 4 or 5 fishing rods on fire along with motorcycle tie downs and various other smoldering items and my furnace flaming away.I had just placed 2 fire extinguishers in the garage before we left and one was right in front of the heater, so I pulled the pin squezzed the trigger and put the flames out in seconds. I reached for the door handle and opened the big door and ran outside, trying not to breath any of the smoke. I went back inside the house and got a phone and called my insurance agent at home, Thanksgiving morning, and he gave me all the info to start the process and cleanup. We we're so thankful to be alive and to have been home when it happened, and to have been lucky enough to ack quickly and avoid a MUCH bigger disaster. Didn't even have to call 911 and wait for a response from the local fire dept.
 1 lesson learned was, buy and keep an extinguisher where problems might arise such as shed, garage, kitchen etc.It just might be the difference between saving your house and life.Also, if the smoke detctor goes off don't just blame your honey for burning something in the oven, investigate the source of the smoke! It could save YOU , your HOME, your LIFE , and a bunch of your favorite fishing rods and reels!    Be careful this Holiday Season, and see ya on the water soon.

wow, glad you are ok, fire extinguishers are a must, cameron

I am glad you were able to save your house and contents. Extingishers and smoke detectors are no joke and can make a huge difference in the first few seconds to minutes in a fire.

Please please please call 911 even if you think the fire is out, I would much rather show up at your fire and see the result of your success than have to battle an out of control fire that could have been put out by a single engine company with notification. We can help you with insurance and property notifications, utilities, security and peace of mind.

I am in no way saying anything negative in your actions, I will do the same thing in a heartbeat. You saved 10,000 to 100,000 or more in damage. I hope you have replaced your detector and extingisher because they are cheap insurance as you have demonstrated.

Kent
NCKA Fire
Eureka Fire Department

 Wow, what a "State change" that must have been.  Good job staying cool through it all.  Were you able to determine what caused the furnace to ignite?

Dang! So glad you were home an able to get it out. Fire is a scary thing.

I would of kept blaming the wife for her cooking... and end up loosing everything since I am so stubborn.

Thanks Kent, I would have called the local fire dept had I not been able to do the job myself. I was a firefighter/EMT for 10 years and just jumped in and did what came naturally. Without those skills it would have been a totally different picture.

Good stop! Carry on.
Kent

Thanks for the reminder I actually have several fire extinguishers but since i move into this rental never hung them up I only know where one is at the moment guess its time to put them where i can reach them