Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: rpm on January 30, 2008, 08:59:54 PM
-
I had to work dayshift today to make deliveries and there were remarkably very few so I wound up walking around bs'ing with the cashiers. I was chatting with one of them when I heard something on the scanner one of my department managers was wearing about a fire north of Chico on 101.
Hmm, I live on 101 north of Chico. I asked him where it was and he said he did'nt know, but it was big because they called in help from 2 other fire departments. The winds were gusting 20-35mph. I deciced it was time to go to lunch!
I work about 15 miles from home. I could see the smoke from work. I hauled bellybutton towards the house. On the way I called my phone to see if the answering machine would pick up. It went straight to voice mail. I floored it.
As I got closer there was no doubt it was on my place. The DPS had a roadblock set up and I blew past it on the wrong side of the road. It was like driving in a fog bank heading up my driveway. The first thing I saw was 3 firetrucks around my house and roaring flames 30 - 40 feet in the air from the woods that surrounds it.
Luckily, the house was still standing. I ran to the well house and turned on the 150 ft hose I have. It was burned into about 5 feet from the wellhouse. I ran and grabbed 2 5 galon gas cans and started filling them with water. I noticed a guy standing around taking pictures but I did'nt have time to jack with him. As I was filling the cans a second time he walked over and took one to help fight the fire. He later introduced himself (I already forgot his name) and said he was from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. You will probably see me in there tomorrow.
I called my Brother-In-Law and asked him to bring me all the hoses he had. He showed up with 100ft and we started working thru the trees. 4 1/2 hours later the fire was out.
All the underpinning was melted away. My phone lines were crispy. My antenna pole bent over from the heat. My DirecTv coax was fried. 5 windows along the back of the house cracked from the flames. My brushhog was burnt to a crisp. My air compressor is toast. My air conditioner is cooked.
But not 1 scorch, burn or bubbled paint on the house it's self.
About 100 acres of my place went up and around 50 more on the place next to mine. The fire started when my neighbor to the south left a live wire hanging from a broken light socket.
I hope he's got GREAT insurance!
Here's a couple pics I snapped with my phone after things kinda settled down. Excuse the poor quality, I was kinda pre-occupied.
(http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/6817/fire2qk8.jpg)
(http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/642/fire3zf7.jpg)
(http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/6816/fire1ww7.jpg)
-
hope he's got good insurance too RPM!
thank goodness you still have a dwelling.
:(
-
I am definitely a lucky man. The plastic window screens are'nt even singed. The windows cracked, but the plastic screens are fine.:huh
I also had 2 small gascans full of gas underneath my front porch. They melted but did'nt explode or ignite. :huh :huh
-
Glad you and your house are ok. I think I flew over, or at least saw, the fire at your place... It sent smoke all the way to our practice areas and hung around until late afternoon.
Around that time, I was climbing up to spin altitude and the other IP in the jet and I were commenting on the big column of smoke we could see to the south.
-
Wow, you sure got lucky man; glad you were able to save it.
-
The Star Telegram alrady has some aerial video up. I am "reign of fire".
http://www.star-telegram.com/
-
Wow RPM...just wow.
Glad you're ok and it's turned out much better than it could have been.
I guess no one can come in here and call BS on you, eh?
:D
-
Glad it worked out good rpm
-
Great to hear, glad things turned out ok!
Might want to store those gas cans somewhere else next time. :)
-
WOW ,,,,glad all is well wtg on the base save sir
-
Holy crap, glad everything is alright!
-
So it's YOU that's the "faithful Chico reader."
http://skattershooting.blogspot.com/2008/01/chico-fire.html Link has a video of the fire.
Glad to hear you didn't lose your house.
-
Originally posted by Sandman
So it's YOU that's the "faithful Chico reader."
http://skattershooting.blogspot.com/2008/01/chico-fire.html Link has a video of the fire.
Glad to hear you didn't lose your house.
LOL, yeah... that would be me. I'm just glad I can laugh about it now. I always wanted some aerial pics of the place, but not his way. I gotta tell you after watching the aerial video I'm kinda floored.
I was too busy to notice what was going on around me at the time.
Anyone care to join me in some 18 year old scotch?
-
That sucks RPM, glad to hear you still got a house.
-
Originally posted by rpm
Anyone care to join me in some 18 year old scotch?
All I have is some Cragganmore. It will have to do.
-
Glad your house is ok. Close call with the gas cans.
-
Whoa, crap. Sounds like things turned out pretty well, considering what could have happened. Glad the inside of the house is okay... that's where the important stuff is.
-
I'm just happy I know how to hotwire my PDA as a modem.;)
I have to rewire all my phonelines from the box in. I had the wire hidden inside the vinyl underpinning.
Here's the worst part, I HAVE NO TV!!!!!!!! Thank the 6 pound baby Jesus for the 30+ hours I have recorded on DVR. DirecTv will be here Friday morning to rewire.:aok
-
Originally posted by eagl
Glad you and your house are ok. I think I flew over, or at least saw, the fire at your place... It sent smoke all the way to our practice areas and hung around until late afternoon.
Around that time, I was climbing up to spin altitude and the other IP in the jet and I were commenting on the big column of smoke we could see to the south.
Lucky escape RPM. Thank goodness we don't have problems like that around here. Too bloody wet.
Eagl's story reminded me of a similar thing that happened to me which actually relates to RPM's story. One Saturday a group of us were out flying in a Cessna 172 over the Dublin city, when someone spotted a massive column of smoke to the west. I suddenly realised that was where I lived. So full throttle off we went. Overhead at 1500' I was relieved to see that it was the local convent school hall not my home that was burning. We circled, then found ourselves engulfed in the black smoke from the fire:O Apparently at that moment on the ground the gathered crowd variously screamed or 'oooohed':rofl Which is not far off our reaction in the plane:lol My Mother who was there realised immediately it was me in the plane and I was scolded later for showing off. :cry
-
Wow, very lucky...you can fix broken windows and fried wires...but loosing a home is much more devestating.
Time to call up the legal team?
-
Sorry to hear about your fire, rpm. Hope you get everything replaced with no hassles. Glad you're okay.:aok
-
It is my duty to drink scotch with you, it's tough, but I'll do it anyway.
-
Those fire fighters are doing a hell of a job. Glad you were able to save your home and yourself. Hang in ...
-whwk
-
Glad you and your house are mostly OK RPM.
Don't they have a fire department around there?
-
Damn I'm glad first that you are safe and that you were able to save your home. They don't come any closer than that for a fire save.
Bummer about the TV but what the heck, you need to clean up the area anyhow.
:confused:
-
Glad all went for the Better than the other way RPM.
Have you ever considered employment with the Fire Department?
RPM: Cartoon PileIt Extraordinaire, Hose Hustler!
:aok
Mac
Again, I'm glad it all went well.
-
Front page of the Star-telegram !
-
Wow. The O'Club finally has a certified celebrity that posts here!
:aok
Does this mean you're going to date Jessica Simpson soon?
:D
-
You lucked out man!
As a former firefighter, I’ve seen a lot of houses go down. You were lucky. I take it the FD was there already, protecting your house?
Depending on your surroundings, the fire could be smoldering underground for days. I would keep a close eye on things, especially on the edge where the burned meets the unburned. The FD is most likely doing this, but sometimes they don’t do a perfect job; I wouldn’t bet my house on it!
100 acres? Holy cow! How many do you own?
-
Boy, I avoided this thread because I figured it was something political. Out of morbid curiousity I had a look and saw what is what really all about.
Glad to hear it worked out *okay* in the end rpm.
-
Thanks guys. BTW, I just rewired the phones so I can communicate with the outside world again. No more relying on the PDA.:aok
DirecTv will be here in the morning so I will have satellite again.:aok :aok
I did have a funny thing happen today. I was talking to a teller at the bank and told her the local paper had the time it was under control wrong by about 2 hours. A lady sitting across the lobby that is an occassional customer of mine (and is a supreme know-it-all old biddy) corrected me. She said the fire was under control at the exact time the paper said because she saw it on Channel 8 and they had a reporter here.
Really?? I told her it was kinda funny to me because it was my place on fire and I was in the middle of it all. I also told her we did'nt see any TV reporter down where the actual fire fighting was taking place.
She proceeded to STFU.;)
-
Seriously,
Patrol for hot spots.
-
Good grief, close call indeed! Glad everything is relatively okay. No doubt about it, that trumps everyone else's experience of the day, maybe for the whole month.
-
Originally posted by DiabloTX
Wow. The O'Club finally has a certified celebrity that posts here!
:aok
Does this mean you're going to date Jessica Simpson soon?
:D
no, but he is the father.
glad that turned out better than it could have though.
-
I'm glad you, and your home, are alright.
-
You did some nice work there RPM! :aok Glad your house and most of your stuff is still intact.
A house fire is my worst nightmare. Insurance never can cover photos and all the other family loot that is stashed in the dwelling. Dont even wanna think about family members.
-
I had the same thing happen to our neighbor. She was burning trash and didnt put it out all the way and went to work. I went out side to feed the pigs and chickens and smell something bruning look around the trailer, and see half of her ten acre lot in flames. The flames were maybe 20 feet from her house but good thing the wind was blowing the other way. Bad thing was that it blew the flames into her bundles of hay about 15 of them were already engulfed. I called the fire department and got our hose and took it over to her well and hooked it up. I put out the fire line that was still burning by her house and started working my way to her hay bales. The flames had to be at least 50 feet high by the bales. I just started soaking the ones that wernt in fire to try to save them. By that time the fire department had shown up and started hooking up thier hoses to thier water tanks and started hoseing everything down. About ten minutes later the owner showed up and was crying with joy because her house was still okay. The fire department decided to just let the hay burn and just keep an eye on it. It was still smoking three days later, but after going back home my adrenaline was pumping show much I was shaking and couldnt sit down.