Woke up to a fire in the house

Goldie · Post by **Goldie** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:12 pm

Tuesday morning between 6 and 6.30 we had one of these „once-in-a-lifetime-experiences“ you prefer never to have to go through. We were woken up by the crackling noise of fire in our attic but at that time we did not realise what that noise was and where it came from, sounded more like someone letting fire crackers off outside. The fire burned the electrical cables which then caused a short cut so suddenly the alarm clock and all other noises were out. The first thing we did was to jump out of bed and run downstairs and see what caused the noise. Everthing was o.k. but after checking the safety box with fuses and them all been thrown out we checked the rest of the house and found the attic in complete thick smoke with two main fire spots and several small ones which just had started.

We managed to stop the open flames by ourself but needed the help of the fire brigade to also stop the hidden fires carrying on burning and smoldering under the floorboards, the floor was cut open with a chain saw and the ceiling cut open too. Nobody was harmed physically just a little smoke inhilation and the damage done to our house is repairable. It looked really promising before the fire, we hope it will be nice again when we repair it and that the insurance will pay out for the damage.

The fire was caused by a bag full of wood dust which we had left standing upstairs after sanding down the wooden floor the evening before. The floor was the last thing for us to finish before wallpapering and then we hoped we can finally move into it. The dust in the bag must have compressed over night and the energy produced caused self-ignition. Basically the bag started smoldering and then exploded and threw balls of burning wood dust through the whole room and started small fires on several other spots. Where the bag stood there was no floor anymore only a hole and the ceiling above the main fire spot was also burning.

We were very lucky and what saved our house was that we checked quite immediately after the main burst out AND that we have fire extinguishers, one of them was standing on the bottom of the stairs going up into the attic and could be fetch within seconds after finding the fire.

Now a couple of days later we realise how lucky we were with it all, the fire workers told us already we were lucky but then you cannot take it fully in.

Importance of fire extinguishers
Since it happened of course we have spoken to family and friends and to our big surprise only a few have fire extinguishers in their houses or flats. Without the fire extinguisher we would not have had a chance up there. It is also important to know the different types, ours was a powder one, a foam or water based one would have probably caused under our circumstances an additional electrical fire.

Importance of fire resistent insulation
Do not save money when you buy material for insulation, it really can pay out big time to invest in the good stuff and pay a little more. The pearl/bead-like insulation we chose saved the supporting beams and the wooden ceiling below it to catch fire, only the centimeter of free space above the floor insulation started burning/smoldering, everything underneath the insulation line was not touched.

+Unfortunately we had no smoke alarm upstairs, we have them all over the house but there it was not installed yet as the room was not ready. We are sure had we had a smoke alarm already somewhere up there it would have warned us hours earlier, as the smoldering must have gone on quite a while and must have cause A LOT of smoke before the main explosing happened. So this is what will go up immediately, too.

It has been something else. The new floor had caused us a lot of problems in the last four weeks and we hoped Monday evening we had them all solved only to wake up in the morning with another desaster with it topping it all.

So… if you do not have them, get out and buy smoke alarms and at least one fire extinguisher for each floor of your flat or house!!!

Colin and Brigitte

Post by **Nanohedron** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:19 pm

Wow. Glad you're okay. Extinguishers and alarms are important, of course, but the info about the bag of wood dust is especially instructive! It's exactly the same sort of thing that happens on a larger scale when grain elevators explode: grain dust will do the same thing if allowed.

Post by **Dale** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:23 pm

Oh, gosh. We're so relieved you are ok. I have an absolute horror of house fires.

And, I can never get over that whole spontaneous combustion thing. A bag of wood dust. Who would think?

Thanks for letting us know. I'm hopeful it will serve as a cautionary tale for us all!

Dale

dwinterfield · Post by **dwinterfield** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:26 pm

Glad to hear you're okay. You've inspired me to put new batteries in the smoke detectors this weekend.

Years ago, my attic caught fire. No mystery about the cause - smoking house guest fell asleep after drinking too much. The landlord suggested I move very soon thereafter.

A note of caution about flame retardents. They save lives but some of them are an emerging environmental concern.

RESEARCH TOPICS

Brominated Flame Retardants

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used to protect against the dangers of fire and are present in everyday items like textiles, plastics, paints, televisions, computers and other electrical appliances.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are the most widely used brominated flame retardant. They became a cause of international environmental concern in the late 1990s when a study in Sweden showed that in contrast to contaminants such as PCBs, levels of PBDEs in samples of human milk had increased exponentially since the early 1970s.

In Canada, levels of PBDEs in human milk have increased by a factor of ten between 1992 and 2002 and by a factor of around 100 since the early 1980s, according to a recent Health Canada study.

BDE molecules are similar in structure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are classified as probable carcinogens and are known to cause birth defects, neurological damage and thyroid imbalances.

Here's a blub from the Environment Canada web site

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:36 pm

Colin & Brigitte,
glad to hear you are all right. What a scare. Good luck with the renovation and especially with the insurance!

Thank goodness your workshop didn't burn!

chas · Post by **chas** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:42 pm

Glad to hear you're okay after an ordeal like that. I'm going to empty all the sawdust out of my shop vac as soon as I get home -- and empty it frequently after that.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:45 pm

Oh my! Best wishes.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:49 pm

I'm relieved to hear you're both OK. I'd never have thought a fire could start that way. That's pretty frightening. Lucky too that you were on hand to deal with it.

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:49 pm

As I've already said privately, quite happy you are all safe, although i'm a little upset that Jacques didn't bother to wake you, but then that's cats for ya

You really do need a dog

An additional warning for those who oil their flutes and whistles: You risk the same fire hazards when you certain common oil on rags and then throw them in the trash - it happened once where I used to work (before my time there) and so they learned the hard way that all oil soaked rags should be stored in a fireproof metal container until trash day. At home the best thing to do is to immediately take oily rags outside the house and place them in a metal trashcan with a metal lid that will stay put. (Perhaps we have Firemen/Women on the list who can add further, or better suggestions) FYI.

Again, sorry to hear about all that, Colin and Brigitte, and glad you are okay

Loren

Goldie · Post by **Goldie** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 1:05 pm

Loren wrote:As I've already said privately, quite happy you are all safe, although i'm a little upset that Jacques didn't bother to wake you, but then that's cats for ya You really do need a dog

Jacques did sleep through the whole event. He must have been desensitised during the last three months of loud noises, foot stompings above and heavy machinery going. There was at one point 7 firemen up there, running up and down the stairs trying to find power but our whole house was knocked out, they eventually got it from their truck. Fortunately they used very little water so we had no real water damage. I was very surprised that the floor boards had burned from underneath and travelled across the room but on top it looked still like new.

Thanks for the good wishes, especially with the insurance one, we need that one knowing our luck with them in the past.

Colin

herbivore12 · Post by **herbivore12** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 1:06 pm

Terrible way to wake up; you have my sympathies. I'm glad you were able to contain the damage somewhat, and that no one was hurt. Best wishes for a speedy renovation!

Silvano · Post by **Silvano** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 2:43 pm

What a terrible story. I'm glad to hear you're both fine. I hope you can manage with insurance.

Silvano

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 3:16 pm

Yes, thank goodness you are not hurt! I really didn't know that a bag of wood dust could be dangerous, so I will always remember this story. Also, we have no smoke alarm in the attic. We will get one and some fire extinguishers. Thank you for giving us a push in the right direction. Best wishes for your repairs to be over with soon.

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 5:28 pm

'Tis a good thing no one is hurt.

izzarina · Post by **izzarina** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 5:50 pm

Oh my goodness, Colin! I'm so glad that you and Brigitte are alright. The whole scenario just sounds too scary. To think that it started with wood dust!