Thursday, May 17th 2012.
I had just finished reading Stieg Larsson's "The Girl Who Played With Fire", the second book in the trilogy about Lisbeth Salander. I had read the first book, then the third, which gave me just enough information so I could understand what was happening, and I was reading the second book to fill it all in. :)
What I didn't realize is that I was about to become the girl that played with.........well, actually put out.....fire.
I was just sitting down with the laptop, getting ready to share some new experiences we have had in the last two weeks. Ace was downstairs in the basement, His office and "man-cave" (He hates that expression) are down there, and He was busy working. It's important to note here that the only way to get to the "man cave" is through the garage, several locked doors, and a flight of stairs.
It's also important to note that we live with/care for Ace's elderly (senile) grandmother. She has really been slipping mentally lately, to the point that she can't be trusted to stay alone.
I was sitting in the living room, laptop plugged in, and ready to blog. I didn't realize that Ace's grandmother was out in the kitchen, or that she had turned on the stove.
All of the sudden, I heard a scream then Ace's grandmother screaming my name and to "come quick, this is on fire!!!!!!!" I was in that kitchen in a hot second..........that may be the fastest I have ever moved!
Sure enough, there was a pan sitting on the top of the stove engulfed in flames, and black smoke was pouring out, beginning to fill up the house. I tried to get close to the stove to smother the flames, but could not find anything that would safely put them out. The sink was less than a foot away, but I knew better than to throw water on it.
I wish I could say I was calm and rational.............yeah, not even close. At this point, flames were all the way up the front and back of the stove, and I was sure the wall behind it and the cupboards above it were on fire as well. There was ALOT of smoke, and the room was dark, so I could not see very well at all.
Thinking the whole kitchen I was going up in flames, I did the only other thing I could think of, which was to grab the fire extinguisher.
I have been trained on how to use a fire extinguisher at previous jobs, but I have never actually shot one before. And let me tell you, trying to do it for the first time in an emergency situation is not ideal, to say the least!
I moved His grandmother out of the way, pulled the pin, aimed...........and nothing. The extinguisher didn't go off when I squeezed the trigger! Of course, that freaked me out a little more, and with the alarms going off in the house, my yappy little dog freaking out, His grandmother screaming at me to go downstairs and get Him, and the house full of smoke.............suffice to say, I was FREAKING OUT!!
I pulled the extinguisher in towards me to see what was wrong, gave it a good shake, screamed a string of curses, and finally the thing went off!!!!! Glory, hallelujah the extinguisher worked!!!!! The first shot I was unprepared for, and it hit the back of the stove. I aimed better after that, swept quickly back and forth, and when all visible flames where out I went over and aimed another shot down into the bottom of the pan (we would later find that the burner was so hot, it had scorched a hole through the pan which caught some cooking oil on fire, and that last shot of chemicals landed on the burner itself).
I dropped the extinguisher, and whipped open the patio doors to get the smoke out. By this time, I was a wreck emotionally, and I had somehow managed to hurt my shoulder during the chaos, so all I could do was collapse to the floor. My eyes and lungs were filled with black smoke and chemicals from the extinguisher, and I could barely breathe. Ace's grandmother had the good sense to move herself over by the patio door just as He came barreling in through the hallway yelling "what the hell??!?!?!?!?!?" I tried to tell Him, but I couldn't talk around all the crap in my lungs and the tears pouring down my face, so I just watched as He charged around the house, opening all of the windows and doors to get out the smoke.
At some point, I pulled myself up (although not together, that would take much longer) and moved back into the living room, where the least amount of smoke was. Ace was still running around, demanding answers out of His grandmother who couldn't give a rational answer on the best of days, much less in that moment, and from me.......and I wasn't fairing much better than granny mentally at that point either.
This really, REALLY, tore me up! I was having severe chest pain, I couldn't breathe from the crap still stuck in my body, and I could not stop shaking for anything. I have never seen a fire that big inside of a house. I am not one that is overly fond of fire to start with.........and to have one that size, in my house, that I had to put out...........I was a mess.
After the house had cleared out a bit, Ace called His parents and they came over. I don't know exactly why He did this, but I think He just needed His parents at that point........His dad did a cursory inspection and determined that it was probably a bit of an over-reaction, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I heard His parents but did not see them, as I was in the other room still attempting to compose myself.
After they had left, I braved my first trip back into the kitchen. What a mess!!!!!!!!!!! Chemicals from the extinguisher were everywhere, and the entire area around the stove was black from the flames and smoke.
Ace was already starting to clean up, and when He saw me, He asked me to come help Him. I was still emotional and hurting, but I immediately began to do as He requested (I had made the mess after all). I apologized for what had happened, but His expression was dark and He didn't answer me. I knew He was upset about it........at this point, despite how rough I was feeling, I was starting to wonder if He was angry with me, especially when His dad said I had over-reacted. Its true, I probably did........but I have never seen a fire that big that wasn't planned (like a campfire or something).
As we cleaned up, we realized that the stove is a loss........the top is completely burned and chemicals got into the vents in the back and sides, making it unsafe to use. I was really beginning to feel sick at this point............I thought it was just nerves, but it turns out the extinguisher was too close to me when it fired, so I had inhaled more of the chemicals than I should have and that, combined with all of the smoke, was making me sick. (This would get progressively worse over the next 24 hours, before getting better).
Thankfully, this happened in the morning, and our daughter was at school so she was not traumatized by it. We made sure to have everything cleaned up, aired out, and back together as much as possible before she came home. She still doesn't know it happened, and we are thankful for that! We have to get a new stove, but the wall and cupboards all cleaned up and had little to no damage. For as big of a fire as it was, we are so lucky it wasn't any worse!
I was still feeling emotional for the rest of that day. I called two of my sisters and talked to them---that was actually how I found out that the chemicals from the extinguisher where what was making me feel so sick. They both freaked and insisted I go to the hospital, but I didn't feel it was necessary.
Later that night, when everything was calm and quiet, I asked Ace to come with me into the bedroom. I was still upset, I knew He was upset and possibly angry, and I needed to be in His arms at that moment. We spooned together silently for a few minutes, then I asked Him if He was mad at me.
"No, I'm not mad at you."
"Really???" I was relieved! "I thought you might be upset at me because of the mess, and because
I've been so emotional about the whole thing. I'm not trying to be, but this is really upsetting for me."
"I can't blame you for that, it's an emotionally charged situation, it only makes sense that you would be a bit upset."
"True, but I was more concerned that you would be mad about the mess, especially after what your dad said. Maybe I did over-react, but your dad wasn't here to see those flames.........honestly, I wasn't being calm or rational at all, I just freaked and used the extinguisher. I didn't mean to make such a mess with it though!"
"In all honesty, I probably would have done the same thing."
"Really????" That was definitely a relief to hear!!
"Well, I didn't see the flames, but if they were really that big, then yeah, I would have done the same thing. That was the smart thing to do, its better to make a mess and have to clean it up than to have to evacuate and call the fire department. Most important thing is that you got it out before the whole house went up!"
I was so glad to hear that from Him! It really helped to know that He supported the decision I had made, even though I made it under extreme stress and in a panicked state of mind.
As I said above, it took awhile for me to feel better physically. Mentally, I am still dealing with it. The idea that we could have lost our whole house, or worse that one or more of us could have been hurt or killed in that one moment is really hard to deal with. I've still been having dreams about things and people catching on fire...........it's been hard for me to sleep. I've been leaning on Ace alot the last few days, and He can definitely tell it's still affecting me. He more or less has me on a bedtime right now.........I've been falling asleep in the early evenings out of sheer exhaustion, as I can't sleep unless I am too tired to stay awake. When He sees this, He has been gently taking me in to bed, and sometimes He lays with me for a little while as a comfort measure, before going to the office to work(which He does alot at night). I haven't been fighting it............been waking up in the wee hours of the morning and end up staying awake until its time to start the day, so that little bit of time in the evening is all the sleep I've been getting.
This sounds childish as I read it back----a grown woman having nightmares that keep me up like a little child would. Hopefully it's something that will fade as the days go by.
Seeing the book lying out, my father in law teased me about being the girl that played with fire (ha ha). That may be so, but I have no intention of getting a dragon tattoo, and if I see any hornets they are SOL!!!!
(note: we are all fine, no one was hurt, and we still have our house) :)
~sugar
