My sister's house caught on fire

[Bernadine]

Thank God, no one was there. They settled on the house about a month ago, but have been staying with my parents while they were renovating. BIL had tools there, but no other personal belongings, furniture, etc.

At about 10 this morning, his sister called him and said there was a fire call on their block (they have a scanner because her h is a firefighter). My sister and BIL head over to check it out, and sure enough, it's their house.

It was a split level. The main floor was completely destroyed by the fire. The basement was destroyed by water damage. The fire Marshall thinks the rags they used to refinish the floors may have spontaneously combusted. We went up there, and I can't even describe how terrible it was to see.

Please keep them in your thoughts. I hope things go easily for them as far as getting their insurance and starting to rebuild.

[curtains]

Holy shit! T&ps for your sister and her home

[roxycarmichael]

I am so sorry.

[ProfessorArtNerd]

Oh that's awful!

[shamrockshake]

Your poor sister I'm so sorry. Glad no one was hurt and it wasn't worse

[lg28]

How devastating. I can't imagine the stress.

There was a costume warehouse in my hometown that caught fire from rags used to finish a floor. It was awful.

[bcv513]

Omg I'm so sorry. That's awful

[Bernadine]

Nov 26, 2015 20:07:31 GMT -5 milsaroo said:

Oh!

I know people get annoyed when people start sentences with "At least..." But omg it could've been so much worse and I'm so happy to hear they weren't staying there at the time. Please keep us updated. I hope insurance isn't too much of a hassle to deal with.

Absolutely. If it had to happen, this was really the best possible situation. They had plans to gut the kitchen and bathroom too, but hadn't started.

[lilafowler]

Omg I'm glad they're safe.

[Monica Geller]

That's awful. Thoughts and prayers for them.

[beefcheeks]

Oh no, that's awful. So glad they are okay!

[sterl724]

Glad nobody was there and everyone is safe! Hope the insurance isn't too big of a PITA.

[cuddlyevil]

Glad they're safe.

[Deleted]

I'm so sorry. It good that no one was hurt and there wasn't much property, but it is so heartbreaking to see your home in ruins. Hope their claim moves quickly.

[bugandbibs]

How scary! I'm glad everyone is safe and they will have a comfortable place to stay.

[Elsa]

Omg I cannot imagine I'm so glad everyone is ok

[jane6672]

Nov 26, 2015 20:26:46 GMT -5 RexManningDay said:

Holy crap! I'm glad everyone is okay.

We used paper towels and linseed oil to refinish the aiderondack chairs on our deck a while back, and then tossed them in the garage trash can and left the house to go do something. Thank GOD I went out to the garage for something else when we came home, because the trash can was smoking badly - the paper towels with oil had spontaneously combusted. Luckily hadn't caught flame yet but were close.

I googled and apparently that's a pretty common thing that happens- I don't remember how you're supposed to dispose of them, but there's a way. It's so scary.

that is so scary, I'm glad no one was hurt!

Rags from combustible oils like that need to be submerged in water (like an old paint can filled with water) and then turned in to a hazardous waste disposal place.

[WOT?*]

How terrifying. I'm glad they weren't home. My neighbor's house caught fire and everything needed to be replaced. DH's former secretary spent months navigating renter's insurance claims to get items reimbursed. "Shoot, I had a gravy ladle and now I don't so I need to buy a gravy ladle and get reimbursed by insurance." for months. I'm glad your sister and BIL didn't have anything of value (or was irreplaceable) in the house and they're okay.

[pantsparty]

How awful, I'm so sorry

[mariafromnj]

How awful! I hope things move smoothly with insurance and they can rebuild quickly.

[mom2twoboys]

That is devastating. I am so sorry they are having to deal with this.

[nicanmatt]

Oh how horrible! I hope that insurance will be helpful.

FIL works for a fire restoration company and may know good companies in your area. PM me if you want some info.

I'm so glad nobody was hurt. What a nightmare.

[aprilsails]

So glad they weren't living there at the time.

Getting a house rebuilt after a fire takes a really long time. I hope the process goes as smoothly as possible for your sister.

[KKD]

How awful. I'm so sorry. I hope the insurance and rebuilding process goes smoothly for them.