The Replica Prop Forum

The Replica Prop Forum
Very cool site I am also a member of

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Just had a fire next door

My daughter called me at 10:30 asking me if our neighbor was burning trash.  I thought that was weird as Jim never burns trash, and he wouldn't do it at night.  I called Jim while I walked out my bedroom door and looked out my kitchen window and saw a blaze that was reaching the top of his mother in laws trailer.  I told Jim what was going on, then went back into my room to put on my boots and grab a jacket, as I went out my front door I called 911 to tell them there was a fire.  They informed me they already had a caller on another line so I hung up and ran back to make sure "Grandma" Jim's mother in law was out of her trailer.  As I got there I found fire under another trailer right under the tongue where the propane tank is, and Jim has cut a hose and was trying to put out the flames.  I got the hose from Jim, and started spraying it under the trailer where the fire was under the propane tank.  Jim kept feeding me hose as he untangled it and I was able to knock that fire down.  I then started working on the main part of the fire, which was an old junk trailer that Jim stored old tires and junk metal in.  I yelled out for Jim's wife Theresa to get her mom out of her trailer as the flames were getting closer to her trailer and the small 3/4 inch hose I had wasn't giving me much water pressure.  I couldn't get the cold hose to squeeze down so I could direct the spray of water further towards the front of Grandma's trailer, and there were several leaks in the hose which was costing me water pressure.  I finally bent the hose at one of the leaks which restricted the water and gave me a lot of pressure out of the leak so I could start spraying the side of Grandma's trailer which was smoking and it's siding was melting.  One of the VFD members got there and he was in his street clothes, I yelled to him to get the propane tank on the front of the trailer because the flames were getting closer.  I kept spraying as close as I could to the front of the trailer.  He came back from around the trailer and said he had gotten the tank.  Right then several fire fighters in their personal vehicle were over in my driveway trying to get back to the fire.  I was thinking "I hope they don't drive over my water line that I just fixed"  My daughter stopped them and redirected them, 2 firefighters bailed out and ran through the yard as the first piece of equipment pulled up Jim's driveway.  A firefighter in turnout gear came up and took the hose from me, and started working the fire and keeping it off Grandma's trailer.  Theresa had her mom out of the trailer and was trying to get her into her and Jim's trailer.  I went over and gave grandma a piggyback ride, I didn't think until after I got her into Jim and Theresa's trailer that I am not supposed to do that as my back started to spasm.  By then the VFD had gotten a hose out and was spraying down the fire.  I went out and rubber necked a bit and gave the Fire Investigator my statement and he identified the ignition point of the fire, which was the Romex that ran along the septic line to Grandma's trailer.  Right where it made a 90 degree bend, the septic line it's wood support, all of it was burned away.  The fire was finally out and I asked the firefighter with the thermal to check grandma's trailer as the siding had melted and it had been smoking rather bad before I could get water on it.  They checked it and the fire was out but the wood under the siding is badly charred.

The firefighters were cleaning up and putting the truck back into order when I had to leave, as I was soaking wet, my hands were cramping from the cold and my arthritis, and my back was spasming bad.  So I came in changed clothes and dried off, and I sat here to type this in case the fire department needs a better statement.

I'm going to take a muscle relaxer and drink a glass of wine and try to go to bed.  I hope in the morning I can even get out of bed as my back is screaming at me right now.

Good night folks.  I'll get some pictures in the daylight.

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