We recently received this email from a reader and have been thinking about it pretty much ever since. So we thought we’d share it in the hope that Melanie’s story will help others out there who may have gone through the same experience and people like us who probably don’t know a thing about being prepared for something of this magnitude. Here’s a photo that Melanie sent to us.
Here’s her letter:
I’ve been stalking following your blog for just over a year thanks to making an offer on a short sale home in September of 2009. It was our dream and forever home. We spent the first two months washing, priming, and painting every single wall and ceiling. We replaced every hinge, door knob, light fixture, window treatment, and put in beautiful hardwood floors on both main levels and the stairs. You name it, we most likely did it.
Sadly, on Thursday January 6th, just before 6am I woke to the sound of two second story windows shattering followed by bright lights. I peeked into our guest bedroom and flames had just begun to enter, the smoke detectors went off seconds later. My husband, our 2.5 year old son, and I escaped safely with just the clothes on our backs. We had no shoes, socks, coats, or hats in subfreezing temps. Just each other and the love of our neighbors, friends, and families. It was quickly determined to be accidental, but we lost it all including my car. Our 2.5 story 2,000+ square foot home, plus in-law suite burned to the ground very quickly (one estimate was 30-60 minutes). Within hours we also learned of the love from acquaintances and strangers in our community and beyond.
We are very lucky to have each other and our lives- but our home, and all of the hard work and DIY projects we had done were gone so very quickly. We’ve already spent five hours documenting the structure of the house, and now begins the grueling task of itemizing each and every personal belonging. We’ve learned some of the “what would we do differently” as a result of this fire, that I’m hoping you consider for yourselves and might share with your readers:
- Subscribe to an online data backup service (my external back up drive sat right next to my laptop in my office)
- Keep passports in a safe deposit box
- Take pictures of each room initially and update them as improvements are made (storing them somewhere offsite – like Flickr)
- Take pictures and keep hyperlinks of all expensive purchases, including jewelry
- Hire an architect (my dad in our case) or use floorplanner.com to document each floor layout along with precise wall/ceiling measurements, each outlet, light switch, crown molding, other trim, type of flooring, any unique items to structure of property
- Put phones in a consistent place each night
- Get fire ladders for any second floor bedrooms
- Scan each photo and receipt, again keeping them offsite, or on an online data backup service
- Do not be frugal with homeowner’s insurance. Spend the extra $50 per year for the most coverage
Thank you for reading this and passing it along to your readers. -Melanie
Below is actual video of Melanie’s house. We can’t even imagine what she has been through:
We also got an email from a reader named Robin a while back. Her house nearly burned down at 2am on a Saturday morning. She and her family were thankfully able to get out safely and their home should be livable again in about three months. She also shared what she learned, so that we (and all of you) might be able to learn from her experience:
- Toasters aren’t the only appliances that burn. The source of Robin’s fire surprised us: her dishwasher. Her family was in the habit of starting the dishwasher as they headed off to bed – something John and I used to do as well – and it malfunctioned and sparked the fire. She sent us this photo to drive home the point. Along with reminding us to avoid running appliances overnight or when we’re out, Robin taught us that sending in the warranty card on all electronics is a must, since it’s the best way to ensure that you’ll get notified if there’s a defect or a recall.
- Robin also taught us that if your home has hard-wired detectors, be sure to have battery-powered ones as well. That way you have a back-up alarm in case of a power outage (which often happens during a fire). And remember to check the batteries twice a year. People often suggest doing it when you change the clock for daylight savings in the spring and fall as an easy way to remember. If you have children, consider installing a Talking Smoke Alarm in their room. Robin learned that studies show that kids under 17 often don’t respond to a traditional alarm, but they do respond to their parents’ voices. So these talking versions allow you to record a message that could even include instructions or comforting words.
- Robin learned first hand that despite living in her house for over two decades, the panic of a fire makes it easy to lose your bearings and become disoriented – especially if you’ve got smoke to deal with. Which is why she recommends figuring out at least two ways you can get yourself and others out of your house (in case one is blocked) and, if you have a second or third level, make sure at least one doesn’t rely on a stairwell (fire and smoke love traveling up stairs). Then practice your plan until it’s second nature.
Robin’s tip about the talking smoke alarm actually reminded us of a something my sister Emily learned while teaching fire safety to her kids. Emily decided to have a fire drill at home, and after talking through the route, reminding them to stay low, and pointing out that it might be hot and filled with smoke the kids were given the “Ready, set, go-go-go!” Olivia, who was about seven at the time, froze in place and started crying because the scenario was so scary. It was a huge wake up call to all of us because if this was her reaction during a drill, just imagine what she’d do if the house really were dark, hot, and smoky. As scared as Olivia was, Emily was grateful that she had a chance to talk her through it, put in some practice time, and improve her reaction response.
Thanks so much for Melanie and Robin for sharing their stories and their tips with us. We can’t even begin to imagine what it would feel like to be in their shoes, but we’re so glad to hear that their families were unharmed and that everyone from their friends to their community has shown them some serious love and support. And speaking of love, we’re sending out lots of it- along with a huge thanks to both ladies for thoughtfully taking the time to share such an important message.
Debbie @ When We Get There says
Thank you for the post.
My heart goes out to both families. Although it wasn’t to a fire, I lost my childhood house to the 1993 flood. We at least had time to get items and pets out, so I could never know the entire loss they have endured, but I understand a little.
A fire while I’m at work is one of my biggest fears. We have two dogs and three cats, and one of the dogs has to stay in a crate while we are gone. I’m always afraid that something will happen and they will be trapted inside.
Sarah says
Another tip is pull out your dryer once a year and vacuum out all the dryer lint that gets stuck in the pipes. That lint can catch on fire. It’s how my husband’s house burned down when he was little.
Phoebe says
This so sad! I will definitely keep both families in my prayers. But thank you for posting this because it’s an important reminder. I live in an apartment, but I can definitely use the tips about documenting your items!
Lisa says
Thanks for sharing this story. My heart goes out to Melanie and Robin, hopefully we all can learn from their tragic experience.
I think Julie M said it best…Practice, Practice, Practice. An escape plan is great, but if you don’t practice, then it might not save your life. I think it’s a good idea to practice them at all hours of the day, especially at night/in the dark. Practice opening the windows and actually crawling out of them when it’s dark, or climbing down a ladder, etc. My father was a fire fighter for 30 years so my experience with fires are somewhat skewed; we had a fire scanner in our house so we would hear all the fire calls dispatched and would go watch a lot of them (of course we would watch my dad too.)
If I could give advice to parents with young children, if you appear scared, they will be scared. Also, fire fighters can look really scary when they have all their equipment on, including air tanks, oxygen masks covering their faces, etc. I would suggest making a visit to your local fire station and asking them if they could put on all their gear and do a demonstration. This way, your kids will know it’s just a person there to help them and not be scared. I’m sure any local fire station would be glad to help.
Jill says
This is an excellent post. I’m doing some of these thing the minute i get home. My dad was a fire chief and I have a few more tips.
The clothing dryer is the most dangerous thing in your house. Just because you clean the lint trap doesn’t meant there isn’t lint in the exhaust or elsewhere in the dryer. Check that silly silver tube that leads out at least once a year.
If you have storm windows or other windows that don’t open, get a glass hammer. Can be found in the auto dept. at walmart. Leave it on the window sill.
Also, guns go off in a fire. And ammo will explode. It’s hard to get out of a burning building if you are shot. And the firemen can’t do much if they are shot. Be sure to alert the firemen when they arrive on scene.
A tip for travel as well: ladder trucks can go to the 4th or 5th story of a hotel. If you are in a high rise that catches fire you may be out of luck. My dad always used to ask for a 4th story or lower room.
Melissa T says
Thank you for posting this! It was a reminder to me of the things I let fall to the bottom of my to-do list for our place when they should be at the top. I live in a 4-plex building that was built in the 40’s and I get nervous that me or someone else in the building will leave the stove on or something. I am going to use the tips given here about documenting purchases and I am going to buy renters insurance asap.
Another purchase people tend to forget about is a carbon-monoxide detector. Carbon-Monoxide poisioning is especially scary since it is ordorless. Sadly this issue was brought to my attention yesterday when a friend told me that her sister brings a carbon-monoxide on all of their vacations after her husband’s business partner, his wife and children died in their sleep at a rental home in Aspen a few years back. Scary stuff
Funnelcloud Rachel says
OMG. How horrible – this brought tears to my eyes.
We also run the dishwasher at night – my parents always did this when I was little and now the sound of it helps me sleep (weird, I know). But we never never run the dishwasher or washer and dryer when we’re out of the house for this very reason.
Best of luck to Melanie and Robin – I’m so glad their families are safe.
Lindsay says
I’m almost in tears, as my husband and I live in a townhome, sleep on the third floor with NO ladder, etc. and we run our dishwasher every night. Such amazing advice; thank you so much for sharing it with everyone. I cannot image the hell that Melanie and Robin have gone through and I am going to sit down to go through all of this with my husband tonight. You all could have just saved so many people’s lives, homes and important documents. Thank you.
Sarah says
Thank you so much for posting this! My co-worker and I were just talking about how we need to get a fire-proof safe for our homes and take pics of our belongings.
To have a list to reference is great and as we plan for our family, I will be sure to get those talking alarms and second floor ladder.
Kat @ Me Simplified says
Thanks for the post. I live on the 3rd floor of a condo building. I have a front and back stairwell but no other means of escape. All of my windows are crank out windows that would be too small to crawl through, even if I had an escape ladder. Your post has me thinking what would I grab? Where are my important things stored? I would want to make a quick exit but might be hampered by my sleep attire (which is naked). I could put the dog on a leash, but have no method of transporting my cat even if I could find her quickly. You’ve given me much to think about. And I’m going to go change the batteries of my smoke detectors RIGHT NOW and ask the building manager to do the same for the ones in all the stairwells.
Samantha says
Unfortunately, two houses right down the street from me burned to the ground last night. So unbelievable sad. I am going to go over everything with my family. Thanks for the reminder.
Sharon L says
I work at an insurance agency and recently had the task of documenting the contents of my home. Initially I had been trying to photograph everything and document serial numbers etc..(which would be wonderful if you had a theft), but the Agent told me to just wander around the house with a video camera. Open closet doors and cabinets and drawers etc because after an event like a fire, you are too emotional to remember everything that you had. You will remember your bedroom set and televisions, but who is thinking about the book collections, silverware or knick-knacks during an trying time like that? I have my video documentation stored on a memory card in my file at the insurance agency. Lots of our insureds have DVD’s in theirs. I did continue documenting serial numbers as we had an unusually high number of home break-ins in town at the time. Those are also stored at the insurance agency on a memory card.
Sarah says
Oh wow. I almost don’t know what to say.
Maybe you guys could do a series about home safety? Protecting from fires, security, child safety, etc. etc. I think it’s something that people just tend not to think about!
Heather says
I definitely saw this on my local news and it broke my heart. Last year a nearby family had a total loss of their house including their two dogs. I didn’t know them but I cried for sure. My two dogs are our babies. We had a scare recently with a woodstove (our primary heat source) and it was scary. (everyones fine). It just proves you need a plan for your kids and your pets (who can’t do fire drills).
For those with woodstoves:
• never burn items besides wood & well aired (crumpled) paper. creosote is extremely flammable and non wood products cause build up
•always clean your chimney and make sure no lower level woodstoves get blocked from falling creosote
• use a magnetic thermometer on your pipe to guage heat. Too hot pipes can cause the wall to burn (yes, even fire resistant backerboard)
•never leave your house with an open stove, always shut down all vents to prevent overheating, even if you’re going for a walk outside
Our lower level stove got partially blocked. Even though we were diligent in cleaning. Check your catch for upper level dented in between cleanings.
Julie says
Great reminder. I am going to order one of those talking smoke alarms. Considering what my kids slept through during our recent renovation, I’m pretty sure they’d sleep through a smoke alarm. And going to create a plan and practice. It’s really scary to think about with small kids, especially. As for a back up system for your computer, we use http://www.carbonite.com and we love it. Glad everyone with these stories all got out safely.
Kristin says
Glad to hear you like carbonite. I’ve been meaning to back up all my stuff up and wasn’t sure who to use.
linda says
WOW….. well that put a damper on my friday… BUT it needed to be said and thank you for posting about it. i feel horribly for the two families and the fires. what a great reminder to us about running appliances when no one is home.
kemmie says
Great reminder! One of my fears is our home burning down. i check every morning like crazy to make sure all the morning beauty appliance are turned off….I have a pup who is home during the day….we regularly wash a load of dishes a night too…no more!
Val says
Thank you so much for posting this. I work for a bank and one of my responsibilities is helping to set up charity accounts for families who are dealing with the aftermath of something like this. I probably think about this more than most people, but I still needed a wake-up call. When I tried to come up with a plan in my head just now, I realized that we’ve made no provision for getting our beloved dog out of the house; something I’ll be remedying this weekend for sure.
Thoughts and prayers for both families. So glad that they are safe.
LindseyR says
whoa. tough post…but thank you Melanie and John and Sherry for sharing. Home fires happen more often than anyone wants to think about—thank you for the real life reminder though and also for some proactive tips.
AmyK says
This just happened to Edie at http://www.lifeingraceblog.com in December. My heart goes out to Melanie (and Edie as well.) This post has reminded me to talk with my husband about making an escape plan and backing up all of our data off-site. Thanks!
shana says
Thanks for sharing this. I actually woke up to our smoke alarm this morning, as my high-school son had burned his breakfast. I shot right out of bed, but my three young children slept soundly. I already had the “talking” alarm on my mind before I read this post. I’ll take this as a sign that I shouldn’t ignore!
melarse (Melanie) says
Thanks to each and every one of you for your support, kind words, and similar stories. And to Sherry and John for sharing our story.
Never in a million years would I have thought a fire would happen in our home, nevermind losing it all together. There are so many things we learned that I figured if I hadn’t ever thought of them, others probably hadn’t either. And since I LOVED that home, I figured no better place to share it than the blog & followers that made me fall in love with home improvement, etc.
A couple other lessons we learned along the way:
1) Having a fire extinguisher is fine, so long as you call 911 BEFORE trying to put it out yourself; you could lose precious moments, since a fire doubles in size every 60 seconds! (from one of the firefighters)
2) Most fireproof safes have their limits too. Most are only good for 1 hour! In our case, this wouldn’t have helped since the fire spread so quickly and it took so long to put out.
3) Ensure that your home (or renter’s) insurance is for REPLACEMENT value and not cash value. Cash value will only reimburse you for the depreciated value of your belongings – determined by the insurance company, not you! Replacement value coverage will first reimburse you for depreciated value and then the difference for when you replace your belongings (at today’s cost).
Christy says
This post brought tears to my eyes. A huge thank you to the two ladies who shared and YHL for sharing it. We often forget to be prepared for such events and this was a timely reminder for me. I have two small children and a new house. We have not even discussed escape routes…family meeting tonight! Thanks again.
Caroline says
Oh goodness, this is the 2nd blog post I’ve read about someone’s personal account of their house burning down and am officially scared into doing some fire safety improvements in my home.
This post in particular from another blogger whose home burned down the week before Christmas had me in tears for a good 20 minutes. Her home was so beautiful, all diy’d..yet her faith and strength at enduring this tragedy is even more beautiful. Hoping Melanie can find a shared comfort through this blogger:
http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/2010/12/the-god-who-promises.html
Ashley says
Totally just teared up! Didn’t expect that from a home improvement blog. Thanks for the much-needed info. We always turn our dishwasher on at night!
Ms. Amy says
An eye-opening post, but great reminders on how/why it’s important to document everything. I have friends who left on a weekend trip & returned to find their home flooded due to a loose pipe connection on an upstairs toilet. Their family of 5 (with 3 kids under 7) had to move out for almost 6 months while crews worked to dry it all out and replace nearly everything structural.
It could happen to any of us, and who is really prepared? I’m going to look into online data backup RIGHT NOW.
Angie K says
That is awful and sad. I have never had a practice drill, but will start right away!
We rent and we still buy the talking alarms for the kids rooms. When we were in an apartment 2 years ago the alarm went off and was LOUD. It was closer to my son’s room than mine and went off for an hour (another apartment’s alarm malfunctioned, but the entire building’s alarms went off). My kids slept through the ENTIRE thing! The next night, after they went to sleep, I went in their rooms and calmly said “Daniel, Erin, there is a fire. Erin, Daniel, Get out of bed” They woke up and immediately got out of bed.
Diane says
Not sure if anyone posted this already – but please tell your children NOT to run back into the house to retrieve their pets…
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2007/12/a_brave_staten_island_boy_died.html
Missy says
Yikes! Thanks for this post
Karen J says
How terrible! A local fire department here has a Fire Safety House both our kids were able to go to. The fireman explains what to do in a fire, and then they fill the house with smoke and turn of the lights so the kids can practice crawling in dark smoke. He told us to do your fire drills at night (with kids their PJs and leave everything dark) which is when most house fires happen.
Irene says
W
o
W
Glad they made it out safely.
Brad says
I was thinking about how I would handle a catastrophic loss of everything I own, and found out that I could use Amazon’s wish list feature to keep a replacement of all the stuff needed to start over again. Kitchen, dining, bedroom, bathroom and tool sets, clothes and even paper towels. It’s about 4 pages long and not too tough too keep current. I figured that we would be stressed out and not very interested in going to Wal-mart and doing hours of shopping; this way it is simple and just 1-click and 2-day free shipping.
Deena says
As an insurance agent I always recommend taking a video of your house and opening EVERY single drawer (clothes, junk kitchen, etc) on the video and even to video all the contents in your closet. It is really hard to remeber all your personal belongings. Often times people don’t think about that “thing” in the drawer until they go to use it and realize it is gone because they didn’t think to list it to have it replaced. And then as the reader said store this video outside of your home. I take these videos of my stuff once a quarter!
nicole r. says
Melanie & Robin,
I’m sorry for your loses but grateful you’re here to share your story!
Melanie, I grew up on the south shore and it’s really eye opening to see that close to home (and such a small world that we both follow YHL!). If you need anything do not hesitate to reach out and let us know!
It makes me think of myself personally. I work in a college residence hall with no renters insurance for the apartment supplied to me (i know, i know!! I’m talking with my insurance/tax guy when i go in for my taxes) and bc my role is to make sure my students are safe, any fire alarm I run out of the apartment not thinking it could be real but that the students need to evacuate!! Such a bad mindset to be in.
Tonya says
Melanie I may be moving soon and might have some clothing I would love to send you if we a similar size. Please email me at [email protected], if you are interested.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so kind of you Tonya! Here’s hoping Melanie gets in touch with you.
xo,
s
Pamela says
What a wake-up call. Thanks so much for posting. My family and I have some work to do to get prepared. Now we know exactly what must be done! Inavaluable information.
Laura says
Wow- thanks for the wake-up call. So sad for these families who lost everything but thankful to learn their tips. Hopefully we are never in this situation but it’s always better safe than sorry.
Lolo says
Oh my goodness……wow. What an amazing post on so many levels. Thank you to Melanie and Robin (and both Shery and John) for sharing their horrific stories (that could have turned out even worse!).
Always better to be over-prepared for the “what ifs”. I am totally taking ALL of this info and applying it to good use. We just bought a new house and are completely remodeling it from the foundation up. I plan on using all of these tips to make sure that god forbid anything like theirs happens to us, that we will be prepared for the long journey back to getting our home (and lives) put back together again.
God bless you both and thank you so much again for sharing your stories!! I cannot EVEN imagine…..
XOX
* this is one blog post that most definitely needs to be bookmarked by everyone…..
jen says
I did a post about insurance, http://concretejungledc.blogspot.com/2010/10/insurance.html last year. It’s a boring but necessary topic in home ownership. I also noted this website for keeping records: http://www.whatyouown.org/.
It’s a great source to track what you have in your house and it’s free. You can also pdf everything and store it on a cloud system in case everything goes. Good tools for when tragedy strikes.
Katie says
My thoughts definitely go out to Melanie and Robin. Such tragedies and it can happen to anyone…
The tips provided are also good if you have a massive break-in. A burglar took from our house at least $15,000 worth of stuff including a lot of heirloom jewlery. Unfortunately we didn’t have the best documentation of that stuff (we had just moved and were doing our “younghouselove” DIY thang and renovating things) so getting reimbursed through insurance was sometimes difficult!
Alice says
Several years ago I left some batteries in a recharger in my bedroom for probably several days thinking they would be fine. One morning while getting ready for work I heard a funny noise and smelled something funny in my bedroom and traced it to the recharger plugged into an outlet and found that it had overheated and was melting! Thank goodness I discovered it before I left for work because who knows if it would have started a fire or not if left plugged in. I would have been heartbroken if a fire would have started as I could have lost my 2 kitties!
Stephanie says
I sobbed like a baby watching that video..I can’t imagine!!! It is a real eye opener for me. In seeing my husband and I just bought our first house. Our dreams are in this house. My thoughts and prayers go out to Melanie and her family. Thank You for sharing and for the tips they definately will help us.
Ashley says
When my son was about 7 we were living in a rental house where the landlord had placed a smoke detector outside the bathroom. While I knew that the steam from the bathroom could set if off because it had happened to me when I was home alone several days prior (and caused me to panic a bit), my son didn’t know. He was alone upstairs showering, the smoke alarm went off, and he stood in place and screaming/crying. We’d talked about what to do if there was ever a fire over and over, walked through it, but when he thought it was the real deal he still panicked. It was a scary realization for me. I don’t know if it was the volume of the alarm (it’s hard to think with that loud of a sound going), or just the surprise of it all, but I would say that it’s worthwhile to practice your fire escape plan with the alarm going off at least once if you have older children.
Emily S. says
I feel so badly for this family. Sending prayers and well wishes to them, and we’re very thankful for all of these smart tips!! We live in a ranch style house similar to yours, but all of our bedrooms are clustered down a long hallway, and the hallway is the only way out besides our bedroom windows. If there was a fire and the hallway was blocked/on fire, the bedroom windows are our only hope. The windows are big but they are high enough that we would have to stand on the bed to get out, so we have put step ladders in each bedroom under the beds. We don’t have kids, but we have plenty of guests stay with us and we tend to run the dishwasher and dryer at night – not anymore! A house fire is simply horrifying.
heyruthie says
after reading this post today i called my local fire marshall’s office to ask some questions to make sure I was “up to snuff” with my smoke detectors, etc. much to my surprise, I was told that for a house with my layout, I need 6 smoke detectors, including 1 for the garage!
and an even bigger surprise? in my jurisdiction (Fairfax City, VA), the fire department will come install as many as I need for FREE. they even provide the smoke detectors free of charge. they are coming on Monday. I am elated. goodbye to my 2 measly old ones, and hello 6 new, correctly-installed ones. perhaps some of your other readers have amenities like this as well, but just don’t know it. it’s worth checking out.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- such good info. Thanks for sharing!
xo,
s
amyb! says
I have a friend who just lost his home in a tornado we had in Dec and it has opened my eyes up. My first thought were of our pictures especially of our son! I have a client who puts them all on CD’s and then puts them in a safe deposit box! Clever!
My heart goes out to her and her family but thanks them for sharing and helping out others becuase unless you are reminded, it’s something we tend to forget about!
Katie says
I am so sorry to hear of these families’ loss. It is always a good reminder to us to know that these tragedies do happen and to take preventative measures before they do.
I am so happy to hear that everyone is okay in both of the situations. They both sound like strong and remarkable families.
I recently moved and found an iPad app that can definitely help with some of these issues. It is called MoveTools and it is a great organization tool for moving and organizing, alike. But, you can also use it to keep a home inventory and add value to your items so that you have a list prepared in situations like this. I have found it to be a great tool around the house and thought you and other readers might enjoy it, as well!
Thanks for covering yet another great topic. You guys always do a great job of adding in great content beyond home improvement and I always look forward to a new post from you in my reader!
Amanda says
Such a sad post, but I’m glad that everyone is ok! You can always replace stuff, but having a plan to get out is so important.
A couple of years ago, my husband and I went out to dinner and came home to a small electrical fire caused by a malfunctioning fish tank pump.
We thought we had a pretty safe setup (power strip had a surge protector and was plugged into a GFCI outlet), but nothing tripped in time.
If we had gotten home 10 minutes later, the fire would have been bad enough that our roommate (who was sleeping at the time) would have been trapped, with her only way out being through a window in the master bedroom.
Also, make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector. A friend of mine almost died a couple of years ago from carbon monoxide poisoning. The heater in her home wasn’t venting properly and carbon monoxide had filled her home during the night. The only reason she survived is because she didn’t answer her phone, her boyfriend got concerned, and ended up breaking into her house after she wouldn’t answer the door.
Tia says
Consumerist picked up this post today! A great way to spread the word about fire safety to even more people.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s great news! Thanks again for Robin and Melanie for sharing their stories!
xo,
s
casey Hockersmith says
Just wanted to say to Melanie that my husband and I are praying for you and your family.
My sister-in-law, her husband, and their two sons 16 and 8 lost their home to a fire on December 15th. It originated in the ventilation of their wood burning stove. Her husband, Jeremy, is actually a volunteer fire fighter and had just gotten home from a fire run and jumped in bed at 2:30 in the morning. Just before falling asleep he noticed smoke starting to pour in their room. Thankfully, everyone was able to get out safely-into below zero temps that is. But they too lost everything.
Just another thing for homeowners to keep in mind-CHECK AND CLEAN YOUR FIRE PLACES AND WOOD BURNING STOVES ON A REGULAR BASIS!