Close Call
Yesterday evening there were a series of severe thunderstorms that went through our area. Like the brilliant person I am, I decided to grill out on our porch at the same time as the worst of the storm was passing over. We live on the 3rd floor and looking back at it now, it probably was not in my best interest to be out there at that particular moment. The most deafening boom and instantaneous flash of light made me jump out of my flip flops. I thought lightning had struck between the buildings across the parking lot from us. I knew it hit something because I could smell a burning/electric smell.
A couple of minutes later, hubby came home and told me he could smell something funny and asked if I had burned dinner. I told about what had just happened and just as I was finishing my story the buildings fire alarm starting to sound. It was as if we didn't know what to do. We just looked at each other for a minute and then I opened the apartment door and saw all my neighbors making there way out of the building. So we rounded up the cats and went downstairs to stand in the rain (we put the cats in my car).
There was no blazing inferno or any sign of smoke that anyone could see. Two of our neighbors were going around from door to door and checking on everyone. So we stood with the rest of the crowd and waited for the fire trucks to arrive. And we waited. And we waited. When they finally arrived, 15 minutes later, 15 minutes after we were all standing in the pouring rain, 15 minutes after a potential fire could be burning, some firemen went up all sets of stairs and starting checking the building. We thought for sure, it was a false alarm, no one could see any smoke. The firemen then ran out of the building and and made everyone get back away from the building and 4 more trucks showed up.
Apparently, lightning had struck the building and was burning SOMETHING, but when our property engineer cut the power to the building, it snuffed itself out. So after an hour of standing in the rain (actually, after the initial 15 minutes, most of us went and stood under the stoops of the other buildings) we were allowed back into the building and told to pull the fire alarm, call 911 and get out if we saw smoke or smelled anything. They never found the source of the alarm. Which was not overly reassuring. One fire truck stayed next to the building as "fire watch" for about 4 hours after we were given the all clear to go back to our apartments.
So, I guess there was a little excitement for us. The cats are still a little freaked out. The lightning didn't scare them , but that damn fire alarm did. I can safely say that there is no way anyone could possibly sleep through that alarm.
Ahhh, life in the country....
A couple of minutes later, hubby came home and told me he could smell something funny and asked if I had burned dinner. I told about what had just happened and just as I was finishing my story the buildings fire alarm starting to sound. It was as if we didn't know what to do. We just looked at each other for a minute and then I opened the apartment door and saw all my neighbors making there way out of the building. So we rounded up the cats and went downstairs to stand in the rain (we put the cats in my car).
There was no blazing inferno or any sign of smoke that anyone could see. Two of our neighbors were going around from door to door and checking on everyone. So we stood with the rest of the crowd and waited for the fire trucks to arrive. And we waited. And we waited. When they finally arrived, 15 minutes later, 15 minutes after we were all standing in the pouring rain, 15 minutes after a potential fire could be burning, some firemen went up all sets of stairs and starting checking the building. We thought for sure, it was a false alarm, no one could see any smoke. The firemen then ran out of the building and and made everyone get back away from the building and 4 more trucks showed up.
Apparently, lightning had struck the building and was burning SOMETHING, but when our property engineer cut the power to the building, it snuffed itself out. So after an hour of standing in the rain (actually, after the initial 15 minutes, most of us went and stood under the stoops of the other buildings) we were allowed back into the building and told to pull the fire alarm, call 911 and get out if we saw smoke or smelled anything. They never found the source of the alarm. Which was not overly reassuring. One fire truck stayed next to the building as "fire watch" for about 4 hours after we were given the all clear to go back to our apartments.
So, I guess there was a little excitement for us. The cats are still a little freaked out. The lightning didn't scare them , but that damn fire alarm did. I can safely say that there is no way anyone could possibly sleep through that alarm.
Ahhh, life in the country....
posted by Kristen at 6:24 PM
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