Fire by Night
Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang! "Wake up! It's the police!"
Not a very pleasant way to be awoken at 4am from deep sleep in a warm and fluffy bed.
After a few seconds of stupor - am I still dreaming? who's making all that noise? and why?! - we finally made it to the door. There we were informed by an anxious police officer that there was a fire raging somewhere in our apartment complex and we must get out now. No time for jackets, he said. Hmpf, it's snowing out there, I said. I grabbed a sweatshirt, glasses, and boots. Drew grabbed his bookbag and computer (and I thought he didn't like school); honestly, a jacket probably would have been more worthwhile.
First, we were herded out into North Park, from which we watched black smoke pour out of the parking garage as the firefighters tried to control whatever flammable thing down there was responsible for our current state of alarm and discomfort. Then, when it was clear that this wasn't a minor flame and that we might need an indoor refuge before we were all frozen through, we moved as a critical mass into the gym of a church across the street. We found Amber and Ben and sat together in our pajamas, chatting about whatever it is that people talk about at 4:30am and waiting for news on whether or not we should make alternative sleeping arrangements for the night. At about 5:30am, our landlord arrived with donuts and a pleasant announcement that everything was under control and we could return to our apartments.
News travels fast, so this morning we learned that a stolen construction truck was deposited in our parking garage and torched by the thief to cover his tracks. Whether due to stupidity, lack of foresight, desperation, or just plain malice, this unfortunate soul will face charges of grand theft auto, arson, and attempted manslaughter (because of the large number of innocent bodies sleeping directly above the scene) whenever identified and captured. The truck and the car next to it were completely destroyed. Other than a lot of soot and the lingering smell of burning gasoline, there were really no other damages.
The morals of this early morn story?
*Obtaining renter's insurance is a fantastic idea.
*Living in a neighborhood with so many churches has its perks when you need a warm, safe place to house 150 cold, concerned young adults in the middle of the night.
*If you don't see fire yet, there's probably time to grab a sweatshirt, especially if you'll be standing in a frozen park for 30 minutes.
*Keys and a cell phone should definitely be on the list of things to grab in an emergency. (We found ourselves locked out when we tried to get back into our apartment and had to be rescued by our landlord's master key.)
*And a responsive, considerate landlord makes all the difference in times like these.
Crisis averted. Lessons learned. Thanks given. Normalcy resumed. :)
Not a very pleasant way to be awoken at 4am from deep sleep in a warm and fluffy bed.
After a few seconds of stupor - am I still dreaming? who's making all that noise? and why?! - we finally made it to the door. There we were informed by an anxious police officer that there was a fire raging somewhere in our apartment complex and we must get out now. No time for jackets, he said. Hmpf, it's snowing out there, I said. I grabbed a sweatshirt, glasses, and boots. Drew grabbed his bookbag and computer (and I thought he didn't like school); honestly, a jacket probably would have been more worthwhile.
First, we were herded out into North Park, from which we watched black smoke pour out of the parking garage as the firefighters tried to control whatever flammable thing down there was responsible for our current state of alarm and discomfort. Then, when it was clear that this wasn't a minor flame and that we might need an indoor refuge before we were all frozen through, we moved as a critical mass into the gym of a church across the street. We found Amber and Ben and sat together in our pajamas, chatting about whatever it is that people talk about at 4:30am and waiting for news on whether or not we should make alternative sleeping arrangements for the night. At about 5:30am, our landlord arrived with donuts and a pleasant announcement that everything was under control and we could return to our apartments.
News travels fast, so this morning we learned that a stolen construction truck was deposited in our parking garage and torched by the thief to cover his tracks. Whether due to stupidity, lack of foresight, desperation, or just plain malice, this unfortunate soul will face charges of grand theft auto, arson, and attempted manslaughter (because of the large number of innocent bodies sleeping directly above the scene) whenever identified and captured. The truck and the car next to it were completely destroyed. Other than a lot of soot and the lingering smell of burning gasoline, there were really no other damages.
The morals of this early morn story?
*Obtaining renter's insurance is a fantastic idea.
*Living in a neighborhood with so many churches has its perks when you need a warm, safe place to house 150 cold, concerned young adults in the middle of the night.
*If you don't see fire yet, there's probably time to grab a sweatshirt, especially if you'll be standing in a frozen park for 30 minutes.
*Keys and a cell phone should definitely be on the list of things to grab in an emergency. (We found ourselves locked out when we tried to get back into our apartment and had to be rescued by our landlord's master key.)
*And a responsive, considerate landlord makes all the difference in times like these.
Crisis averted. Lessons learned. Thanks given. Normalcy resumed. :)
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