First let me say thanks for all the kind words. I am truly lucky to be here for sure and do not take that fact for granted nor have I ever. Many times I have kissed the hand of death and lived to tell about it but never have I been scared until this one. Had it not been for the fact I spent 5+ years as a Fire Fighter I most likely would not have been able to get out. I used my training and did not let myself panic. If you have ever been in a house fire where all rooms are completely filled with smoke you know what I mean. Day becomes night and the smoke will burn your eyes really bad. Combine that with a burning in your chest and you can quickly panic and get lost in your own home that you think you know well.
I do not think that any foul play was involved. I have looked over everything very close and feel that I know what happen to cause the fire. Heather had asked me to put one of the boys tee ball uniforms in the dryer before I went to bed but I forgot to. She noticed this when she got up for work and tossed it in the dryer with some of hers that had dried the night before. She says that when she got the uniform out of the dryer she left the door open and dryer off. I think that because this had put her in a hurry she out of habit grabbed the uniform closed the door and turned the dryer back on because the dryer was at the end of the cycle. I think the fact that the cloths were dry in the dryer and maybe a clogged lint trap too much heat built up and thus the fire. Everything inside was ash and the dryer itself has basketball sized hotspots on both sides. The control panel had started to melt and the cloths from on top of the dryer are melted and scorched. I think it had been going for several hours based on the amount of smoke in the house and the damage to the washer and wall both about 8 to 10 inches from the sides of the dryer. The paint on the washer is blistered as well as the paint on the wall.
Based on my knowledge of fires and smoke inhalation I figure I had about another 10 minutes before I would have succumbed to the smoke and went into a coma like state. The strange thing is that I remember I had started into a very strange dream where I was looking for the source of a strange smell. My Nextel was on the headboard but the 2way was on private and the ringer was on silent as I did not want to be woken up until the alarm went off at noon(did not get in bed till 6am). Heather not knowing my 2way was on private was beeping me over and over yelling into the phone because she had a strange feeling that something was wrong. Then when I would not answer she really began worrying as I always answer within a few minutes no matter how long I have been asleep. Amazingly enough I was able to hear her when she started singing the alphabet song over the 2way at the top of her lungs (I can only imagine the looks she must have gotten from people). At first I grabbed my phone flipped it open keyed her up and said go ahead (Nextel’ers know what I am talking about), then I realized the house was full of smoke since by then my lungs were full of smoke. I dove into the floor and stopped for a second to get my composer and see what I needed to do and what I could do. It was overcast but enough light was getting through the smoke for me to make out the hallway and stairs. I crawled out into the hallway and done my best to get a deep breath of clean air and preceded up the steps to the front door. It has a child safety latch on it which is at the top of the door so I had to stand up to unlatch it. This was tough because even with my eyes closed they were burning and I was running out air and needed to take a breath. I managed to get the door open and get out.
The one thing that I had noticed was that there was no heat and only smoke which had an electronics fire smell to it. I have seven computers in my office and my first though was that a surge protector or UPS had overloaded and a computer was smoking up everything. So after getting some fresh air I decided to make a quick run through of the upstairs to try and determine the source of the smoke and see if I needed the fire department or not seeing as they are well known for causing more damage than the fire. I ran back in and up the stairs, by this time the smoke in the entryway was thin enough for me to see a shirt that one of the boys must have dropped and I grabbed it to use as a makeshift filter to help me breath. I ran through the living room and then up the hall to my office but by this time I needed fresh air so I ran out the kitchen to the back of the house. While I was getting a fresh breath of air I looked in and could see that the smoke was not coming from my office but rather back up the hall. So after a minute or so I went back in to find the cause and by this time even more smoke had cleared and I could see well enough to not get lost so I went down the hall and noticed the smoke was coming from the laundry room. I felt of the door and it was warm but not hot. It has about a ½ inch gap at the bottom so I knew there was not really an issue seeing as the smoke was rolling out not in. So I opened the door and could see smoke coming from the back of the dryer I went to grab it to move it but it was to hot so I kicked it around so I could get to the plug then unplugged it. I grabbed some cloths along the way as this whole time I was in my boxers. So now I feel that I have isolated the problem and now need to get the smoke out in order to get the dryer out of the house. I call Heather and tell her I am ok and the house will still be there when she gets home.
I then call an uncle to come help me get the dryer out of the house. Well by the time he arrives I have been able to go back in several times and open windows and doors to try and clear the smoke. Well all of this time I am thinking that this was an electrical fire in the dryer and I had stopped it. What I did not know was that it was an inferno inside the dryer and all it needed was a little bit of air. Well when Jimmy arrived we went back into the house and cleared the cloths off the top of the dryer at which time we noticed that it was still smoking. We ran back out side to get a fresh breath he asked me if there were any cloths in the dryer and I told him I did not think so as I was supposed to put them in it last night and did not. So we went back in at which time he opened the dryer and all hell broke loose. The room instantly filled with a thick black smoke that I knew would be deadly I grabbed his arm but he pulled away from me and headed to the window, I knew this was not a good idea but could not hold my breath any longer and knew I could get back in if I had to. Well after knocking out the screen he realized he was on the second floor and also that he could not get out the window far enough to get clean air. So he did the best he could and pulled himself back inside and ran to the back door. As he passed by the laundry room he saw that the dryer was in full blaze, he was able to kick the door closed and run out to where I was. He told me that the laundry room was on fire so we both grabbed a hose pipe and headed in luckily there was no fire so we went back out. I stepped back far enough to see if there was any smoke coming out of the ridge vent and did not see any.
We then decided to go back in and put the hoses into the dryer to put out the fire. We went in and sprayed it down so it was cool enough to open the door then stuck both hoses inside. It only took a few seconds for the fire to go out and then we ran back out. By this time I was over come by the smoke and it was real bad the whole house was full of the thick black smoke. My neighbor behind me seen the smoke and grabbed a fire extinguisher and came running. He ran in but came right back out rather quickly and said we had indeed gotten the fire out. After about 15 minutes we went back in and carried the dryer outside. Everyone who went in managed to get out safe and the house was saved.
Now I acted in a manner that I would never recommend anyone repeat. What I did was unsafe and went against all of my training as a Fire Fighter, I had no SCBA no turnout gear no hand line and no backup. I never should have gone into the house once I managed to get out. My chief had a saying that he would tell us every time we went on a call “It’s not your emergency; you are there to help, so don’t do anything stupid and make it your emergency”. Well I did do something stupid but at the same time it was my emergency in my mind so I had to do what I could to save my house and my livelihood remember I work from home. But all the same please do not do the same as I did be smart get out and call 911.
I will say that there were so many factors in play that saved my life that coincidence is nil in my mind. Someone said I may want to think about getting right, well I tend to think I must be close to right with someone otherwise I would not be here. As I said I have kissed the hand of death many times but as I think about it more this time I think I got some tongue.
Folks I don’t know how many of you have ever been in true fear for your life but man... It’s not a feeling that you can quickly forget. I have done many stupid things that have almost ended my life but this time I really thought I was going to die and by all logic should have. So as to a spiritual level I know I have to have someone looking out for me or I would not be here. I am also truly grateful and thankful for them.
The house truly is a mess, the entire inside will need to be painted, and all carpet replaced plus most likely all cloths from the laundry room are lost. I managed to get my main computer back online but all optical drives in every computer are lost. The chemicals in the smoke caused the partials in the air to bond to everything plastic that was upstairs to include my favorite mouse
After seeing the damage from the smoke to all of the household items I really hate to know what it did to my lungs even though I was breathing through a cloth. I know I took in way to much smoke as even my sweat smells like it now. But like I have told everyone else I am just thankful I am able to clean up the mess.
Still not sure of the total damage cost but would guess if I do most of the work myself I can keep it to only materials. Being a “Jack of All Trades” I am sure I can do it just not as quick as the pros but that’s ok. And for those that asked if they could help… yeah feed me every possible way you know of or have heard of that might work to help me get rid of this awful smell...!!!
Thanks
Matt
