Fire, Fire, Fire

It has been a busy week.  It is quite possible that this soon after surgery, I might have done too much this week.  I awoke feeling exhausted and knew this was going to have to be a day of rest for me.  Matt called at 7:30 and said one of the employees was here for her check.  I forced myself out of bed and got dressed.  Before I could even get out the door, Matt called and said he made a mistake, Elena wasn't here.  I was thinking what wasted effort, but just a few minutes later, I was so thankful I wasn't still in gown.

I told Matt I was going to fix a pan of biscuits, did he want some.  He said no.  I turned on the oven and put the biscuits inside.  I was going to sit in my bed for 10 minutes while the biscuits cooked.   Yesterday, we ran out of water with a load in the washer.  Since I knew we had water (again, thankfully) I pulled the knob on the washing machine as I headed to the bedroom.  I waited 9 minutes and went back to the kitchen.  As I sat on the bed, I thought I was hearing the washing machine finishing its cycle.  Surprise.  It was not the washing machine.  Their flames coming out of the back of the stove and licking their way up the wall. 

I ran outside and saw Elvia and Reina arriving.  I began to yell help me, help me.  Fire, fire.  The ladies were a ways off and could hear me but not understand me.  They waved.  I yelled louder and both came running.  We all walked into the kitchen and the knobs were popping off the front of the stove.  Reina turned and ran for her life.  I followed her outside.  Elvia is never good in situations.  Her eyes as big as dinner plates, she ran to get Dorian.  Elvia was running and screaming all through Casa.  Nicole came running down here.  I turned and walked back in the house to get my camera and computer with Nicole and Reina both yelling at me not to go back inside. 

As I get more and more excited, I cannot think fast enough to speak in Spanish.  I was saying there are fire extinguishers in all the cars.  Reina, not understanding a word I was saying, gave me blank look.  Nicole ran for the car.  Anita came down from Karen's and no one was really thinking straight.  Had we been doing the Keystone Cops or some such thing, the things that transpired would have been hilarious.  And now that everyone and everything is ok, it is sort of funny.  But at the moment, my house was on fire and we were bumbling around and it was not funny.  Everyone was afraid the gas tanks would blow. 

Nicole showed Anita where the water was and she began to fill buckets.  She carried the first down to the door and there was no water in it.  The bucket had a crack in the bottom of it; she lost all of the water as she carried the bucket.  Everyone was just running around. 

I had gone back in the house for my camera and computer, but I wasn't going back in to get my cheap little phone.  I followed Reina to Casa and asked to use someone's phone.  I never ask the employees to use their phones because they never have but just few minutes of time on theirs.  Nevertheless, I asked.  Reina was dialing Marc's number and Elvia had dialed it first and grabbed Reina's phone and shoved hers in my hand. Marc answered and I screamed, :."our house is on fire" into the phone and then hung up.  By the time, I walked back to the house, Marc was here.  That was fast.  The preacher and someone else was here.

Dorian was wetting towels and throwing them onto the flames.  That was slowing the fire down.  Nicole began to grab the towels off the clothesline and wet them.  And Dorian threw more and more towels onto the fire.  He got the gas disconnected, the fire out.  He and Jorge, the preacher brought the stove outside.  The stove is history.  The back and the top is burnt.  Inside the oven, there was no fire, no flame.  Nothing cooking my biscuits.  They were still as doughy as when I put them in there. 

The stove is toast.  The wall above has heavy smoke damage and will have to be repainted.  The cabinets beside the stove did not catch on fire.  No one was hurt.  Praise God.  Praise God.  Praise God.

After the fact, I had a complete meltdown.  I then read my Bible and listened to Michael W. Smith.  I am cool, calm, and collected now. 

I am thankful that this Keystone Cop wasn't running around through it all in my nightgown.  I am thankful we had water today.  I am thankful for my little cinder block house.  And above all, I am thankful no one was hurt this morning.  God is good...all the time.

Terri