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A house fire is something we all hope and pray will never happen to us. The experience is devastating and traumatic!
Unfortunately, more than 350,000 home structure fires are reported each year in the US. It can happen to anyone…
Take Action: If you can’t remember the last time you checked your smoke detector, stop what you’re doing right now, and make sure it works! This small action could save your life.
Today, we are going to share Zach’s story. He’s from Atlanta, Georgia. During his junior year of college, a fire broke out in his apartment building, and he had to get out in a hurry. He was ok, and we can all learn a lot from his experience.
Zach’s Apartment Fire
It was March 2019; I had just gotten back to my apartment from the grocery store and sat down with my roommate to watch TV like we always did around that time. It was a normal day, nothing special had happened, and I did not have anything planned for the evening.
My roommate and I had been watched TV for about an hour when I said, “Do you smell smoke?” He said he smelled it, too. I then got up to go open our balcony door to see if I could tell where the smoke was coming from.
The moment I opened the door, I realized there was a fire in the apartment complex. Right as I opened the door, I could hear the crackling sound that fire makes when wood is burning. I looked up, and to my horror, the balcony of my upstairs neighbor’s apartment was on fire. I immediately turned to my roommate and said, “Call 911, the apartments are on fire!”
I then ran from the balcony and into my room where I kept a small fire extinguisher. I grabbed a bandana, tied it around my nose and mouth, and grabbed my fire extinguisher as I ran out the door. I sprinted up the stairs and ran into my neighbor’s apartment. I remember by the time I got there it was already so hot, and smoke had filled the room from the fire that was roaring on their balcony. I felt like I could not breathe even with the bandana covering my face. I quickly ran from their apartment door to the burning balcony and sprayed the massive fire with my extinguisher, but to no avail. The fire was already out of control and my fire extinguisher was not capable of handling a fire of that size.
After that realization, I ran back down to my apartment and told my roommate to get his stuff and to get out, quick. In a panic, I ran into my bedroom to unplug my computer. During the time I was in my bedroom trying to gather some of my things, all I could feel was the intense heat on my head and neck from the fire raging above me. In retrospect, this was a questionable decision due to the circumstances, but I was in college and all my semester’s work was on that computer. So, I was trying to save something that would at least let me continue my classes easily. The other item I grabbed was my laundry basket. This item is the closest thing I had to an ‘emergency bag,’ and that was only because I had not yet taken my clothes out of the basket after drying them. Thankfully, saving this item allowed me to have some clothes after the fire.
After grabbing my computer and laundry basket, I ran barefoot out of my apartment and moved my car away from the building. That would be the last time I left my apartment. After I moved my car, my roommate and I walked far away from the burning apartment building so that the fire trucks and ambulances could get where they needed to be.
Just minutes after my roommate and I had smelled smoke, our apartment building was being ravaged by the fire. We watched in horror as the fire grew larger and larger and began to consume the entirety of the building. At this time, I called my parents to let them know what had just happened. They arrived about forty-five minutes later to find me with no shoes, no wallet, and no possessions, aside from the small load of clean laundry I still had in my laundry basket.
Zach’s story could have turned out so much worse. The apartment fire spread quickly, but he and his roommate were able to get to safety. He had a fire extinguisher, but it wasn’t enough to put out the fire.
Do You Have a Plan for What to Do During a Fire?
Fires can quickly overtake a home. It only takes a few minutes…
A fire extinguisher is useful, but only if you catch the fire near the start.
The most important thing you can do if you see a fire in your home is to get your family out quickly. Don’t waste time gathering possessions. Your life is more valuable than anything you own. If you have a 72-hour kit near your door, you can grab it as you exit.
Escaping from a fire is an important topic to discuss with your family. Sit down with your kids and make a fire evacuation plan. Show them how to escape from a window, if needed, and where to meet once they get out of the home.
Practice is also important. Hold a fire drill and make sure everyone knows what to do if there is ever a fire in your home.
Take Action: Put a fire drill on your calendar and plan ahead to do this activity with your family.