There is an old house down the road that was split into a duplex and has a revolving door of renters. I pass it a few times a week out running errands and always notice blue/black dark scary smoke billowing from one of the old brick chimneys (there is one on each end of the house). In the beginning of the season, I thought maybe I was just seeing a rough start up but then noticed that EVERY time I passed it, regardless of the time of day, same smoke, thick and dangerous.
It is right across the street from a little general store so a few weeks ago I parked and asked the shop owner if they knew anything about the tenants, figuring they were across the street and would pop in for stuff. He told me it was a single mom with 2 kids. i told him why I was asking and he noticed it too but thought maybe it was coal or something. He said it stinks really bad but just figured it was her stove.
Trying to be helpful, I walked over concerned with the amount and color of the smoke. My neighbor has a coal furnace, it doesn't do that. She came to the door and as I began to tell her about the smoke she dismissed me, she told me she was an "avid burner" and just bought that "seasoned oak" pointing to an uncovered pile of clearly just cut wood and everything was fine. I could see the stove from the door, but the glass was so black, you couldn't really see the fire, only smell it from outside. She told me to pretty much mind my own business and closed the door.
Fast forward to today....My husband came home tonight and told me he noticed this morning on the way to work that her side of the house was burnt bad, chimney was knocked down, 2nd floor windows gone as well as part of the roof. They were out putting tarps up when he came home. Knowing I tried to warn her, he knew what happened....chimney fire, no doubt.
I tried to warn her but she didn't want to hear it. I'm going to go down to talk to the shop owner in the morning, I hope her and her kids got out. I feel bad, I am not an expert any of this but she didn't want to listen. I feel awful.
It is right across the street from a little general store so a few weeks ago I parked and asked the shop owner if they knew anything about the tenants, figuring they were across the street and would pop in for stuff. He told me it was a single mom with 2 kids. i told him why I was asking and he noticed it too but thought maybe it was coal or something. He said it stinks really bad but just figured it was her stove.
Trying to be helpful, I walked over concerned with the amount and color of the smoke. My neighbor has a coal furnace, it doesn't do that. She came to the door and as I began to tell her about the smoke she dismissed me, she told me she was an "avid burner" and just bought that "seasoned oak" pointing to an uncovered pile of clearly just cut wood and everything was fine. I could see the stove from the door, but the glass was so black, you couldn't really see the fire, only smell it from outside. She told me to pretty much mind my own business and closed the door.
Fast forward to today....My husband came home tonight and told me he noticed this morning on the way to work that her side of the house was burnt bad, chimney was knocked down, 2nd floor windows gone as well as part of the roof. They were out putting tarps up when he came home. Knowing I tried to warn her, he knew what happened....chimney fire, no doubt.
I tried to warn her but she didn't want to hear it. I'm going to go down to talk to the shop owner in the morning, I hope her and her kids got out. I feel bad, I am not an expert any of this but she didn't want to listen. I feel awful.
![[Hearth.com] Ignorance is bliss...until it burns your house down](/talk/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-giyRC8Gfrs4%2FT-EAnn7ikhI%2FAAAAAAAAE8E%2F4A-kZfDujbM%2Fs1600%2Fhorse_to_water.jpg&hash=f7957d0f919726175889dfadd76d90e4 "[Hearth.com] Ignorance is bliss...until it burns your house down")
