Had a good scare tonight

[Kool_hand_Looke]

When I first started burning in my Dutch West I struggled with leaving the house with a fire going. After a battle with in logic won. It's no different than if the gas furnace kicks on.

Today the power went out after snow. I bucked some logs, split some, got bored and went to see a movie with my wife. After we went to a friend's house in which I received a phone call of a house on fire on our road; a road which only has three houses on it. After FREAKING THE %#$& OUT and almost throwing up...it wasn't our house. This serves as a reminder when I feel like being lazy, or not paying attention to what I'm doing with burning wood in my house.

I'll have nightmares for a month now. That gut wrenching feeling I felt tonight was the worst thing I've ever felt: I forgot something with the stove and I single handedly burned my home to THE GROUND. I did two deployments in Afghanistan, have been shot at, buried my best friends, and punched terrorists in the face. The difference in feeling in what made this worse is I had no control over what happened in my service to the US. The emotion I felt tonight was that I burned my house down and it was in my control.

Just dumping my emotions.

 

[jrcurto]

Yikes, I would feak out too. I get that feeling when felling trees and knowing that without proper planning and execution, I could leave my family a horrible memory. Just burn properly and inspect your stove and pipes regularly, check that stove door twice before leaving the house with a loaded stove.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

Yikes, I would feak out too. I get that feeling when felling trees and knowing that without proper planning and execution, I could leave my family a horrible memory. Just burn properly and inspect your stove and pipes regularly, check that stove door twice before leaving the house with a loaded stove.

I quadruple check it. But there's a million stories about car wrecks, broken bones, getting robbed, etc. where everything seemed normal.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

I think it was more of a "I know I checked everything! What else could it be?"

 

[BrowningBAR]

Look at it this way; no matter how many times you panic, nothing has gone wrong.

But, if you continue to stress about this, maybe a pellet furnace or an outside wood boiler might be something to look into.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

I only panicked when I thought my house was burning down...but it was the neighbors. I shall not look to any future burns with the anxiety I felt early on when I first started burning wood when we bought our house. In fact I've never panicked with my ability to burn, until tonight, briefly. When I first started I just didn't know, and no one I know burns wood.

 

[oconnor]

Remember your training- that is, do it the same way each time, and you will know in those questioning moments that you did it right. Self doubt is no fun, but sitting in front of a warm fire was my peace and salvation during the first winter after I left the Air Force.

 

[Soundchasm]

This wasn't your wild imagination. There was a one-in-three chance it was your house! I don't think it was a panic attack either. I think it was that most horrible of feelings that something escaped your attention with an unfathomable outcome. You saw the potential for a "come to Jesus" meeting by your own hand, destroying your abode and everything in it. If that doesn't make a guy sit down and see life differently, I do NOT want to get to know that guy. It's pretty emotional.

Here's a factual story and one fantasy. The factual story is I think I had a chimney fire one night well before I knew anything about burning. So help me God I was going to handle it myself out of stupid pride and embarrassment. But I did call 911 and they were on the way. I got the dogs rounded up and safe, and I took every burning log out of that stove with welding gloves and chucked them into the snow. I kept going back in to see which guitars and other items I was going to save in case I had a problem. It was all over when they got there, and I was humiliated, but nowhere near as humiliated as I would have been looking at a smoldering foundation.

The fantasy is more of a panic attack. Wife and I went to see a movie last year (LOTR), and I was coming down with the flue. Somewhere in that movie some dragon was breathing lots of fire, and it entered my head I must have left the stove door ajar when I lit it, and the same thing was happening to my house. I KNEW it wasn't so, but my fevered brain could not be convinced. I almost left the theater, but I didn't, and of course I had closed the door beforehand.

I watched an interview with Chuck Yeager (famous test pilot), and they had close calls all the time. Somehow those guys are able to say " I almost died today, but I didn't, and since a miss is as good as a mile, I'm over it". They were able to keep their fear in check so that they could perform tomorrow's mission. I think you've had a real honest moment that is going to serve you well, because based on your character and ability, that will NEVER happen to you because you will integrate this experience into a pillar of strength.

It was one hell of a dry run for something you'll NEVER allow to happen.

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts.

Develop good habits early . . . double checking things before going to sleep or leaving the home is just one of those good habits . . . eventually it becomes ingrained in you.

Never worry about what the firefighters may think . . . truth be told . . . we are much happier to arrive and find nothing than to have someone not call or delay calling and arrive to find the place all a blaze.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

This wasn't your wild imagination. There was a one-in-three chance it was your house! I don't think it was a panic attack either. I think it was that most horrible of feelings that something escaped your attention with an unfathomable outcome. You saw the potential for a "come to Jesus" meeting by your own hand, destroying your abode and everything in it. If that doesn't make a guy sit down and see life differently, I do NOT want to get to know that guy. It's pretty emotional.

Here's a factual story and one fantasy. The factual story is I think I had a chimney fire one night well before I knew anything about burning. So help me God I was going to handle it myself out of stupid pride and embarrassment. But I did call 911 and they were on the way. I got the dogs rounded up and safe, and I took every burning log out of that stove with welding gloves and chucked them into the snow. I kept going back in to see which guitars and other items I was going to save in case I had a problem. It was all over when they got there, and I was humiliated, but nowhere near as humiliated as I would have been looking at a smoldering foundation.

The fantasy is more of a panic attack. Wife and I went to see a movie last year (LOTR), and I was coming down with the flue. Somewhere in that movie some dragon was breathing lots of fire, and it entered my head I must have left the stove door ajar when I lit it, and the same thing was happening to my house. I KNEW it wasn't so, but my fevered brain could not be convinced. I almost left the theater, but I didn't, and of course I had closed the door beforehand.

[/quote]

I watched an interview with Chuck Yeager (famous test pilot), and they had close calls all the time. Somehow those guys are able to say " I almost died today, but I didn't, and since a miss is as good as a mile, I'm over it". They were able to keep their fear in check so that they could perform tomorrow's mission. I think you've had a real honest moment that is"

You know, the part that still gives me the willies is that I've been deployed. Twice. I waged a war within over the threat of visual and audible shock. I talked to my brethren and shared our fears. It boiled down to bucking up and realizing I had no control, to trust my superiors, my friends, and my rifle. Three more things I had no control over. My vivid and self defeating imagination had established it was my house when I got the call and...and logic reasoned that the ONLY thing it could be was the wood stove; something I had control over. That's what had me reeling.

 

[HotCoals]

Thanks for serving our country!
It's apparent your upbringing served you and us well.
There are 7 house's on our dead end street..if i got that call I would have crapped my pants ..only 3 of us burn wood.

 

[altmartion]

I don't blame you. years ago I had the same scenario but on my grandparents road. so I rushed up there to find out it was the neighbor's house. like you I had to hold back vomit and tried to hold back tears. it sure was an I opener. I think most members would have the same reaction if givin the same circumstances. glad to hear it wasn't yours. was every one ok at the scene?

 

[Sprinter]

Never worry about what the firefighters may think . . . truth be told . . . we are much happier to arrive and find nothing than to have someone not call or delay calling and arrive to find the place all a blaze.

+1

 

[richg]

When I first started burning in my Dutch West I struggled with leaving the house with a fire going. After a battle with in logic won. It's no different than if the gas furnace kicks on.

Today the power went out after snow. I bucked some logs, split some, got bored and went to see a movie with my wife. After we went to a friend's house in which I received a phone call of a house on fire on our road; a road which only has three houses on it. After FREAKING THE %#$& OUT and almost throwing up...it wasn't our house. This serves as a reminder when I feel like being lazy, or not paying attention to what I'm doing with burning wood in my house.

I'll have nightmares for a month now. That gut wrenching feeling I felt tonight was the worst thing I've ever felt: I forgot something with the stove and I single handedly burned my home to THE GROUND. I did two deployments in Afghanistan, have been shot at, buried my best friends, and punched terrorists in the face. The difference in feeling in what made this worse is I had no control over what happened in my service to the US. The emotion I felt tonight was that I burned my house down and it was in my control.

Just dumping my emotions.

Thank you for your service to our country, and prayers are with the families of the fallen, those who were wounded and those who continue to serve. 295 of my coworkers are still serving our company on floors 86-101 of the North Tower. When you punched the SOB in the face, Laura Sal Angela Casey Mark Bill Peter Susan and Mike were with you.

 

[Swedishchef]

I can't imagine the feeling of having a 33% chance or my house being the one on the street burning to the ground. I think any human in your shoes would have felt the same way!

I am glad to hear it wasn't you and I am sad for your neighbors. I hope nobody was hurt and everything can be rebuilt.

Just remember: it wasn't you. It will be tough but I am sure you can get over it.

Friends of mine lost their house last winter. Lindseed oil rags caught fire in the basement and the house was a total loss. Nobody hurt but what a mess to rebuild...

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

Thanks for serving our country!
It's apparent your upbringing served you and us well.
There are 7 house's on our dead end street..if i got that call I would have crapped my pants ..only 3 of us burn wood.

The neighbors were not home. Luckily.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

I can't imagine the feeling of having a 33% chance or my house being the one on the street burning to the ground. I think any human in your shoes would have felt the same way!

I am glad to hear it wasn't you and I am sad for your neighbors. I hope nobody was hurt and everything can be rebuilt.

Just remember: it wasn't you. It will be tough but I am sure you can get over it.

Friends of mine lost their house last winter. Lindseed oil rags caught fire in the basement and the house was a total loss. Nobody hurt but what a mess to rebuild...

I'm over the initial shock. Just a good reminder.

 

[YkDave]

i hear ya!

Im the same way, mostly when im burning a new stove/install, or just a stove that is new to me.

When i first bought my house up here, i never had the time to hang around the house when i first started using the wood stove. I was always waiting for the phonecall while at work that my house was on fire!

but, its like an ol lady, stoke her fire up a few times, get to know her a bit and their is nothing to worry about HAHA

 

[btuser]

I've had the same phone call, albeit a more dispersed and general alarm "in your neighborhood" that was a vacant house for sale. I've also had the nightmares.

It always ends with the overflowing relief I feel when the insurance adjuster / fireman (sometimes the fireman morphs into an adjuster) tells me it wasn't the stove, and then the crushing guilt when he reveals it was some electrical work I did without a permit.

But I'm still here! Livin' on the edge.

 

[m12]

Thank you for your service.

 

[bob95065]

I came home to my last house New Years Eve at 0930 to find it on fire. It had an electrical problem. I know the feeling. I didn't sleep for two weeks.

I check everything before I leave the house now. There is no such thing as too careful.

 

[BrotherBart]

The electrical wiring and stuff in this place scares me a lot more than the wood stoves.

 

[Beer Belly]

Oh yeah....I would of needed to change my britches. I load up, and set the stove at least 1/2 hour before leaving, get it all settled in....my biggest worry is our pup, Codi....we have a Pet Finder sticker on the window of our Master Bath where he stays when we are out, and alerted our neighbors to this.....let the house burn, save the dog....as a matter of fact, whatever vehicle is in the driveway, push it in the garage, let it burn another 15 minutes, then call 911

 

[Matt93eg]

WOW! Scary! Glad it was not your house but its also very sad your neighbors house burned.

My Dad and Mom had a chimney fire years ago from a wood stove that was just slammed in. Tons of creosote in the smoke chamber and during a hot fire it ignited. Thank God it just burned it self out and the house didn't catch fire.

Sure was scary though, there was fire whipping up out of the cap.

OP, Thank you for your service to this Country.