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.
Sharee A. says
It’s the beginning of a new year and, time to take stock. This posting was a vital reminder of that. So very sorry for Melanie and her family losing everything. Thankful to God that they made it out safely and have another chance to start anew.
Erika says
Thank you for sharing this! I’m glad Melanie and her family are safe. Hearing her story has motivated me to be proactive and to be prepared.
Mike L says
Disasters like this are one of the reasons we wrote MYStuff for the Mac. It’s a very easy-to-use home inventory application that can save your data anywhere you want, including off-site locations such as Dropbox. We found that the biggest problem people have isn’t taking a home inventory, but keeping it up to date. So we made it easy to go from online receipt to new record: you simply print the receipt from your web browser as a PDF direct to MYStuff. MYStuff also integrates with iPhoto and any scanner, so getting photos and scans of hardcopy receipts into your records is easy. MYStuff can save unlimited files with every record, so you can keep track of all your service paperwork and manuals. And MYStuff also keeps track of warranties, too.
We made a coupon code for readers of this site. Through the end of February, use the code YOUNGHOUSELOVE at checkout to take $10 off the purchase price of $29.
And Melanie & Robin: if you use a Mac, contact us and we’ll give you a free copy of MYStuff with a lifetime of free upgrades.
Jen says
Thank you for this somber warning. Funny, I was thinking just yesterday morning that we really ought to get a fire ladder for our upstairs bedroom. One can’t be too careful about things like this.
Monica says
Thanks for all the tips. It’s easy to forget that things like this do happen. A little reminder is always good!
Gina @ Temporary Nest says
oh my god. This could not be more poignant. I played the video of Melanie’s home and I welled up with tears. My heart goes out to them. My apartment building had a scare this past week with a fire alarm. An elderly woman across the hall from me had charred her dinner and smoke was pluming from her apartment as she struggled to wheel herself over her door-jam. Luckily it was nothing serious. From what I heard from the neighbors that have lived here for decades this was only the second alarm they’ve experienced. It shook me up. But seeing and hearing from Melanie and Robin is terrifying. And I don’t live far from Weymouth, but didn’t hear this story until now. How heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing. It gives us all a little perspective.
Tia says
Thank you so much for this important! We just moved in our house a few months ago, and have been doing A LOT of DIY projects. Although we would be devestated if anything happened to our house, I think losing our file, pictures, and important documents would be terrible! No one EVER knows or expects a disaster like this. Better to be prepared than sorry!
My heart goes out to their family!
Christine says
So sorry for the families here. Such a loss! There is such great information here, both in the post and in everyone’s comments! Could all the tips here be culled into one list? One that I read somewhere: if you wear contacts or glasses, make sure you leave your glasses within easy reach at night. The common sense of that really struck me, because I am pretty blind without my contacts or glasses, and it’d be tough to make my way out of our house without them, esp. in smoke. Another I read was that if you take a prescription medicine, leave a couple doses somewhere else, like in your car or desk at work.
YoungHouseLove says
Those are great tips Christine! Unfortunately we don’t have the capability to break down everyone’s tips into one big list, but if anyone else does we’d love to link to it somehow. Otherwise this comment section can just act as a nice little “folder” full of them. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
candace @ thecandace.com says
This was an excellent post – thank you for sharing their powerful story with us. I need to get my house in order so I am at least prepared for tragedy, because it could happen to any of us!
Stacy says
I’m sorry for both families.
There is a blog I read often where the owner talks about leaving the oven on while she walks the dog and such. Yikes! I’ve never said anything, but it makes me cringe when she posts that she does that. I won’t even leave something like a crockpot on when and if we have to leave the house. I shut it off and unplug it. Maybe that is nothing more than being paranoid, but it’s better than the alternative.
When we bought our house, there was water leaking into the electrical panel. That was one of the first things that had to be dealt with. To this day, I’m surprised that the VA even let such a thing fly under the radar.
Kirsten B. says
We also had a fire at our house back in October of 2010. So I know exactly how she feels. We were not home when it started, but our dog was. By the Grace of God the firemen rescued our dog. We bought our house in 2008, which was also our first home :(. Since that time we had ripped down all the awful wallpaper, replaced toilets & dishwasher, painted bathrooms, and we were in the process of taking out the checkered laminate flooring in the office. Our fire was also ruled as accidental which started in the kitchen. We were lucky enough to not have it burn down, they just had to gut the entire inside, because the firemen got there in time to keep it from extending to the roof, which we also just got replaced in april of 2009. All of her points she listed about keeping your files backed up and anything valuable in a firesafe are so correct. We had junk most of our stuff because of fire, smoke or water damage. and ALWAYS keep pictures of each room or document everything. For the insurance company we had to go through and list everything, and in the kitchen of our house (where the fire started) had the most damage and we had to go off of memory what was in there. It took us about a week to go through the house and write down everything that was in there. I feel for anyone who has a fire and was very thankful for our insurance company. And make sure you have insurance, I was very glad we did. It is very much worth it for the extra money to get the best insurance you can get. We should be back in our house at the end of March this year. Thank goodness :)
Madeline says
J & S –
Thank you so much for sharing this. It’s so enlightening and honestly I appreciate you informing us. It’s nice not only to see what talented decorators/DIYers you are but to learn something truly valuable about home ownership!
Is there anything we can do for either of these families? I would love to be able to contribute something or send them care packages.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Madeline,
Thanks so much for your generosity! Robin is further along in the process (now back in her house after it has been extensively repaired) and Melanie’s isn’t actively seeking any handouts or donations, but her family has set up a fund for those who would like to help in some way. Here’s that info for ya:
South Shore Savings Bank
The Arsenault Family Fund
650 Middle Street
Weymouth, MA 02189
xo,
s
Andrea says
Wow, thanks for the tips. I live on the 4th floor of a townhouse, but it’s actually 5 or 6 stories above ground level — time to look into a fire ladder immediately. Also a good idea to get an online data back-up . . . I saved everything on an external hard drive. When my computer died, I thought I was good to go. Until I opened the hard drive and found it corrupted. Thanks again for sharing this info!
Terri says
When I was a child our house burnt down…….because of the de-humidifier. It was an appliance that was only about 5 years old and was in excellent running order, no frayed cords or damage anywhere.
You need to be so careful……many of us just leave this appliance running constantly, when in fact we shouldn’t be. It often gets stuck in the basement and forgotten about.
So glad these ladies and their families are o.k………..
Erin says
That is so sad, but also a good reminder for everyone. My own experience with house fire was during college. I lived in a house less than 10 yrs old- it was a women’s coop house with 3 floors and 25 other ladies. One afternoon our smoke detectors went off and my roommate and I went to investigate. Within minutes, we lost power too. We had no idea why until we opened the door to our first floor bathroom to find the ceiling covered with flames. The bathroom exhaust fan had shorted out and caught fire. Luckily we all got out fine, my roommate sprayed our fire extinguisher at the flames and the fire dept quickly came to ensure the fire didn’t or hadn’t spread through the ceiling to the other rooms or levels. The most damage was due to the extinguisher covering everything with that fine white powder, so we were very lucky. I never leave home now or go to bed with the bathroom fan on now. You just never know!
Erin B says
My house burned down this summer as a result of a fireworks accident. My family and I escaped with only the clothes on our backs just before the fire reached the attic and caused the roof to collapse. None of our smoke detectors went off and we were only alerted of the danger by our neighbors honking their car horns and yelling from our driveway. I had always thought of the things I would grab in case of an emergency but in that moment I didn’t even think to grab my purse sitting by the front door as I ran past it. I would absolutely recommend documenting all of your belongings online in the case that you lose it all and need to report everything to your insurance company. It has been a tedious and overwhelming task trying to remember how many pairs of shoes I once had and determining their value. For irreplaceable images and memories, scan old photographs and store them online. It has been a difficult few months waiting for our insurance and the architects to draw up the plans to rebuild but I have been reading your blog since then and I am gathering inspiration from your designs to help my parents redecorate. Thank you for all of the great ideas you have posted. Your blog is always a ton of fun to read and I will certainly be scrolling through the archives once our new house goes up!
Mary of How to Build a Porch says
So sorry that that Melanie and Robin had to go though this awful experience but we are all so grateful to them for sharing their lessons learned. And grateful to you, John and Sherry, for sharing them with us on your blog. With a grateful heart…Mary
My Beautiful Life says
The same thing happened to Edie over at http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/ the night before Christmas.
My heart goes out to all these families. I too, was not aware that running the dishwasher could be a hazard. Thanks for posting.
Stephanie M. says
Praise God Melanie and her family and Robin and her family are OK!! Thank you for the information! It is so easy to take for granted that this will never happen to you. I pray it does not, but it is so important to be safe and implement these tips, especially when you have little ones at home!!
Muriel says
Wow, this just breaks my heart reading this and watching that video! Thanks so much for posting this story. I will definitely not be running my dishwasher, or washer and dryer at night ever again! Melanie and Robin will definitely be in our prayers!
Laralee says
My brother was renovating an older house seven years ago, when a fire broke out. We don’t know how. The smoke alarms were disabled and he died…they found his body next to the door. Though we were both adults, we were very close and lived within a block of each other and I was actually driving to work when I saw firetrucks at his house. I was there when they found his body. I had to call my parents and tell them. It was, and will always be, the worst day of my life.
I am constantly vigilant against fire now, obviously. I knew not leave candles unattended for even a moment, or leave a dryer running, but I did not know about the dish washer. Thank you for telling us. I would not wish the hurt I feel on anyone.
YoungHouseLove says
I’m so sorry for your loss Laralee.
xo,
s
megan says
A family friend of mine is an architect and she designed a remodel for an extremely old farmhouse that had been in a family for decades. About a week before the family was supposed to move in, the house burnt to the ground. Luckily no one was injured but it was terrible.
Jessika says
The fire evacuation map is a very good idea. As is it (or required to) practise it. You think you have it all together but when disaster strikes at 3 in the morning, you’ll be surprised how counter-intuitevly you can react. Practise until you know it by heart.
I lived in Japan for few years and we were frequented by earth quakes. Still, years after having left, I still locate the fire exits in any official building immediately upon entering. How to “earthquake-prove” your home is also a lesson in things you haven’t thought about. Even if you most likely don’t live in an earth-quake zone, the advice has some points to share.
Jayman says
Or… build a house with bricks and cement. Will last you a few hundred years and no fire can burn it down.
Kim S says
A house fire is definitely one of my worst fears. My dog stays in his crate while we’re at work so I’m absolutely terrified to think that he would just be trapped in there if anything were to happen.
I’m good about making sure the dryer isn’t on while we’re gone, but I never realized the dishwasher could be dangerous too…I always start it right before I leave for work, yikes! Done with that habit, that’s for sure.
Amanda M says
Melanie and Robin… my heart goes out to you both and your families! Thank you for caring enough to share your stories with all of us and thanks to YHL for forwarding for us all to read. The Hubbs and I have talked numerous times about getting ladders for the upstairs bedrooms that don’t have a porch off the window and I just texted him that we WILL be purchasing them this weekend. We need two but never seem to have the extra cash… I will now make it a top priority! And all of your other helpful hints will be taken to heart as well. Good luck and thanks again!
Michelle says
I love that they have developed recordable alarms!! Our building (condo) fire alarms went off in the middle of the night a few weeks ago when my husband was on duty, so it was just me. I’m no kid, but those alarms were terrifying – I’m not kidding they were so loud they made me scream and cry. I’m glad it woke me up, but OMG it was horrible.
Jennifer says
Thank you for taking the time to write this post for all of us. It is very sad, but very informative. What happened was beyond tragic and something that is hard to imagine but we can learn from this. I too, run my dw at night, but will no longer do that thanks to this post.
Kait says
Thank you for this wonderful post! Recently another blog author,lost her home to a fire ( http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/page/4 ) . It’s heartbreaking to hear that so many people are going through this but it can happen to anyone. Thanks for sharing the list of things to do- I have a couple I need to do right away.
amy says
We lost everything in a house fire nearly 5 years ago. we DIY’d everything we could and were so proud and happy in our house. The best suggestion is to look at your current insurance and get the best policy you can afford.
To all who are thinking of giving, please do. Although we did receive an insurance settlement, it did not even come close to covering everything. You’d be surprised how all of the little things add up. When you are left with only the clothes on your back, it takes a long time and a lot of money to recover.
cristin @ simplified bee says
wow, I am thankful that this family escaped safely. Her letter to you was touching and contains valuable information for others.
I am a prof organizer and help clients prepare for disasters. I even wrote a post about it:
http://simplifiedbee.blogspot.com/2010/09/step-by-step-preparing-your-home-family.html
xo,
cristin
Kylene says
Thank you so much for sharing this very important info!! I just posted it on Facebook and within minutes my best friend commented that she, like me, always turns the dishwasher on before bed.
Thanks also to Melanie and Robin for taking the time to teach all of us through their experiences!
Sandra says
Thanks so much for this post. A great reminder for all of us homeowners and even renters. Renters insurance is something a lot of people forget about.
howardski says
one of those things that happens to someone else but is a wakeup call for you. it certainly is for me. i have the insurance coverage but i really don’t know what all is in each room. i’m going to go home tonight and take pics of everything everywhere.
thank you and sorry for the misery this must have caused you.
Jen says
Thank you for this. We were inspired to get a safe deposit box and re-double our backup efforts for our digital memories. Thank you.
I wrote about it here:
http://wp.me/p18ZJU-bZ
Nicole says
Thank you for such a great post! It really has me thinking about other things I could be doing. I haven’t read all the comments but I saw some people were wondering about backup solutions so I thought I’d respond (even though I am very late).
I have been using Crashplan for years now. It allows you to backup to a connected hard drive, to another computer you own, to a computer a friend owns, or to their online backup. It is super cheap to do the online back up and FREE to backup to a friend! My parents live hundreds of miles away and we backup to hard drives at each others’ homes, so that our data is somewhere else in the event of a fire or other disaster. Crashplan runs in the background and is constantly updating. I’ve had to restore a couple times when my harddrive failed (even in the last semester of my grad program! eek!) and Crash plan has always worked perfectly and saved my butt. You can also start out backing up on a harddrive attached to your computer, then get the harddrive to someone else and have it backup over the internet after that (much faster than doing the whole thing over the internet if you have many photos or whatnot). Their customer support is also awesome and they are actively improving it all the time. I honestly can’t recommend Crashplan enough, it is one of the best things ever!!!
I also use binary formations Home Inventory software which is easy to use and has a companion iphone/ipod app to make it easy to take pictures. Then I store the reports, as well as PDFs of my insurance documents on Dropbox so they’re always easy to access (and the files themselves are backed up with CrashPlan).
Cassie says
Really loved this post. It was very touching and I hate that anyone had to go through that. The tips are really great and I hope you will allow me to reference this post on our blog if we talk about fire preparedness tips. I’ll make sure to credit you!
GREAT BLOG!
Beth says
A friend of mine lost two little ones (4 &6) in a house fire a few weeks ago. The parents were awake and still couldn’t get to them the fire swept that quickly. They too hid from what I understand. It breaks my heart and puts fear into my heart.
When I was 12 our family had a house fire. My mother made us practice fire safety and drilled us twice a year. We all crawled out of our house (some of us older ones blindfolded a few times). Everyone made it out (including 5 younger siblings).
It is so important and most people don’t think about fire safety past visiting the fire station.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh that is so so sad. My heart goes out to your friend and her family.
xo
s