| Non-motoring > Fire ! | Miscellaneous |
| Thread Author: hawkeye | Replies: 16 |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 09:21
Fire ! - hawkeye
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It was 4:30 am and the smoke alarm was going off. This is the smoke alarm that I only ever hear when I test it or when it's cheeping for a new battery. In the hall the lights were dimmed by the pall of smoke. It smelt foul; the pong of unburnt heating oil and a slight tang of wood smoke I thought, although I'm not an experienced smoke taster. I hit the cancel button. The Aga. In the kitchen the ceiling lights scarcely penetrated the smoke. Much more useful illumination was coming from the two-foot yellow flames licking out of the Aga door. It was a relief to see that nothing else was burning. I opened the cupboard next to the flames and flipped the switch on the float chamber that would stop the oil flow and retreated to the hall, shutting the kitchen door behind me. Wife and 21-year-old son were on their way. Where the hell was the 13-year-old, given that the smoke alarm was outside his bedroom door? I told them that everything was under control and that they should check on the youngster and retire to their rooms and open their windows to dilute the fumes. I soaked a tea-towel and returned to the kitchen with the towel held over my face. I soaked the woodwork surrounding the Aga and the parquet floor with water and opened the oven doors and lids to cool the beast down. The wooden cupboard next to the burner was too hot to touch and I was relieved to see the the flames dying away. With the flames shrinking, I opened the kitchen windows to clear the air a bit. Only then did I notice I wasn't feeling too good. There was a bitter, oily catch in my throat, my mouth tasted as though I'd swilled down a pint of diesel and I had the beginnings of a blinding headache. I pulled a coat on and went and sat on a wall outside the kitchen where I could see the Aga but breathe some fresh air. I assumed my medically-trained wife would have called 999 if the youngster was in any danger; the boys sleep at the other end of the house to the kitchen. Mrs H and I have the warmest bedroom in the house; above the kitchen. I considered calling 999 myself for the Fire service but decided it would achieve nothing but a lot of mess so went back inside to see if anything was smouldering. The air was clearing and the flames had stopped, even inside the burner so I switched off the central heating (not wanting to heat the garden) and went round the house opening windows. Feeling somehow responsible for the whole episode, I went back down to the kitchen and made a cup of tea and watched the air clear. Then it was time to get sleeping beauty up for school. He had had no idea of the drama unfolding downstairs but he was mildly alarmed at the appearance of his dad. Apparently I needed a good wash. The message I would like to pass on is; don't assume that the smoke alarm will wake everyone. Those of us with clear consciences may sleep through even the loudest noise. And if you haven't got a smoke alarm, what are doing on the computer? Go and get one now! OK, nobody died, nobody panicked and our house is still standing. What would you have done differently? If there's any interest in this post, I'll continue with my analysis of what went wrong. |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 09:42
Fire ! - rtj70
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Good to hear you are all okay. Good point about sleeping through smoke alarms. At University, the one in the hall of residence was more like a siren. One student would sleep through it so we knew we had to bang on his door! I'll be sure to check my smoke alarms soon. |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 09:48
Fire ! - -
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Timely reminder, i've got two new ones i've been too lazy to put up, and i'm now rightly shamed they will be up and running today. So pleased the Hawkeye's are safe and well. Kids, you peg em out on the line and they'd sleep through it. |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 09:59
Fire ! - crocks
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Glad you are all alright. Many would have panicked in those circumstances. I have always slept very well and was like rtj's student. I slept through the 1987 Big Storm and have never found an alarm clock that was 100% successful. |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 09:43
Fire ! - Zero
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Lessons here If you dont have a smoke alarm - Get one. If you have one - Make sure it works. Probably saved your lives. It woke up some of the houshold which was enough. Lesson two Fire fighting equipment. I didnt have any, and my electric meter box (buried in the outside wall by the front door) caught fire. All I had to fight it with was water. Yes a fire in an unfused live 240 volt junction fought with water. I threw a large bowl of water at it, from far enough away that the stream had left me by the time it hit the fire. (I realised just in time that the water was draining to my feet!) Sounds like you didnt have any suitable fire fighting equipment either. Yes the follow up and cause would be nice. |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 09:44
Fire ! - Badwolf
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| Blimey, hawkeye. I'm very glad that you woke in time. A fire during the night must be most peoples' worst nightmare. I hope your symptoms disappear quickly. All the best. |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 09:45
Fire ! - Zero
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| Oh bets on the cause? Poor airflow to the burner - Blocked in some way? |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 10:08
Fire ! - BobbyG
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Hawkeye, you were very lucky and seemed to remain very calm. Great message re smoke alarms and fire fighting eqpt - I mentioned a few weeks ago my sister had bought an extinguisher from aldi / Lidl and she used this when her Ford Galaxy "spontaneously combusted" outside her front door! On the subject of smoke alarms, when we had a house fire, the timber within the walls caught fire first, worked its way up the inside of the brickwork and then into the loft where it took hold. Fire service were in my house before any of the smoke alarms were triggered. I now have a smoke alarm in my loft space as well. |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 10:11
Fire ! - Iffy
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The end justifies the means, so well done. Opening a door or window on a fire can be a risky business. I've seen a demonstration by firefighters which looks and sounds like an explosion if the air/fire mixture is just right, or wrong, depending on your viewpoint. Rapidly feeling ill is common among d-i-y firefighters, the risk being you collapse and that's the end of it. I once went to the aftermath of a house fire. One of the things that struck me was the charred window frames which looked to be 'out', but all of a sudden burst into flames again. So I would be keeping a close eye on the scene for a good hour or two. Oh, and the smell. I'm afraid that could still be in the house and on your clothes this time next year. Well done, again. |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 12:49
Fire ! - hawkeye
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Thank you for your supportive comments. >> Sounds like you didnt have any suitable fire fighting equipment either. Yes we do. There are a couple of powder extinguishers in the kitchen and a fire blanket. Only the cast-iron Aga was on fire so my judgement was to kill the source of the fuel, drench the surrounding wood and see what happened. Writing this makes me remember it's a miracle that the towels that normally hang drying over the front were in the wash. Above this would often be a creel full of drying clothes. I can't get Mrs H interested in a fire practice but the boys and I know roughly what to do. When the back porch was rebuilt into an 2-story extension, we lost an escape route from an upstairs window onto the porch roof so now we have a length of climbing rope and a snap shackle to clip it to a radiator. I have given a little thought to emergencies. >> Opening a door or window on a fire can be a risky business. I've watched a couple of fires over the years. Hampsthwaite Village Hall where when the windows popped, a circle of fire appeared on the roof above a few seconds later. My ex-housemate's wife had a chip pan fire and I arrived by coincidence when she and neighbours were gathered round outside. One burly but brainless neighbour decided the best course of action was to kick in the kitchen door despite my pleas not to. The effect was startling; the door swung in violently, neighbour was nearly sucked in with the draught and flames appeared in the room above within seconds. I was satisfied that my fire was dying when I gave it more air. >> So I would be keeping a close eye on the scene for a good hour or two. I did. Zero is spot on. Good thinking. I've serviced the Aga myself for the last 10 years or so. The oil is fed by an arrangement very like a petrol engine carburettor which keeps a constant oil level in the burner. A 12v AC supply runs a thermostat to increase the oil flow if required. Everything is like an old steam engine; heavy bits of cast iron, copper, brass, and stainless steel fittings. And it all runs in light oil so there's no corrosion. It's nice to work on. On the night in question we had undoubtedly suffered a fall of something-or-other in the chimney. It's an old house and the flue is lined, but not all the way. For some reason the original installers left a gap in the lining where the flue takes a sharp bend. Some debris had come down the outside of the lining and collected in the bend, blocking the flue and killing the draught. This made the burner generate a load of oily soot which blocked the hot air passages inside the Aga and eventually ignited. No flue so the fumes, flames and soot headed for the kitchen air space. >> Oh, and the smell. It's dissipating a week later. Last edited by: hawkeye on Thu 18 Mar 10 at 12:51
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 13:54
Fire ! - henry k
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>>I now have a smoke alarm in my loft space as well. >> That is something I would not have thought of. >> >>What would you have done differently? >> Apart from having more than one alarm consider linking them together so that if one is triggered then they all sound. I will be swopping over to mains powered ( with built in rechargeable battery) versions. |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 13:46
Fire ! - FotheringtonTomas
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Oh, I say, bad luck, but well done. I like to have two smoke alarms, just in case one fails. I put them on a book-case at home, near the top of the stairs, so I can press the test button. Burning a bit of rag downstairs tests them, too. The "toast test" is a good 'un, too. |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 14:19
Fire ! - Fursty Ferret
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Earlier this year our Aga did exactly the same thing while I was at home visiting my parents. Fortunately my mum was in the kitchen and spotted it - I switched off the oil supply like you did but when I opened the door a big WOOOMPH of flames shot out. Went out quite quickly, didn't need the fire extinguisher on standby in the hall. When the house was renovated we fitted an interlinked mains powered smoke alarm system with heat sensors in the kitchen and smoke sensors elsewhere. Fairly easy installation. |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 15:04
Fire ! - Mapmaker
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18 months ago. On holiday, three of us (and a dog) staying in a rented cottage, all in separate bedrooms. 5.30am I was awakened by the smoke alarm. I'll usually sleep through everything and thought it was a bit early for the alarm clock which was set for 7. My bedroom was on the ground floor some way away from the alarm. Opened kitchen/diner door to see flames 6 feet high, going all the way up to the kitchen ceiling. People woke up slowly, we evacuated and called the fire brigade (that's what comes with having an ex army officer around, there's always somebody to do things for him!!) I went back in, removed inflammable material from near the Rayburn, extinguished the flames as best we could (using a table mat to beat them out) but the oil was still burning. Where's a fire extinguisher??? Isolated the oil supply. Fire engine turned up. In fact, two of them did, both having driven maybe 10 miles, coming from 20 miles apart. Learning points: 1. Smoke alarms should be on the ceiling, not on the wall three inches below the ceiling. The house had REALLY filled with smoke before it went off. 2. Don't dry towels/clothes etc. on an Aga. They catch fire and then the ceiling catches fire. 3. The Rayburn was well overdue a service, and the fitter, when he came, said the spare part - the failure of which had caused it to catch fire - had been waiting for 6 months to be fitted. 4. Where is your fire extinguisher. Even when on holiday. There wasn't one. The firemen were incandescent and demanded the owner's telephone number and rang her at 6am and gave her a complete earful! |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 18:13
Fire ! - Bellboy
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We have a routine to check the smoke alarm on a sunday night as we go to bed its in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs and we always shut all doors we also have a carbon monoxide checker in the kitchen this self bleeps if the battery goes low all sensible stuff hawkeye glad everyones safe,just shows you never ever know |
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 18:27
Fire ! - Stuartli
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Just for information purposes. Our local fire brigade (Merseyside) fits smoke alarms and fits new batteries as and when necessary completely free of charge, along with a check of your property for potential fire risks such as overloaded mains sockets. The work is done by the firefighters themselves, who turn up in a fire appliance in case they get a "shout"; the main thing is that they know instinctively the best position for each fire alarm fitted. Anyone interested in having the alarms fitted only has to make a telephone call requesting the service, which is carried out very soon afterwards. Last edited by: Stuartli on Thu 18 Mar 10 at 18:28
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New Thu 18 Mar 10 18:32
Fire ! - Pat
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They are also charming and very considerate gentlemen too! I was asleep in my lorry cab one night on the edge of a forecourt of a garage on the A303 at Andover ( now closed). At 2.30am the fire alarm went off and 5 fire engines rolled up with sirens blaring, and decided it was a false alrm. But not before they realised there was someone in the lorry, and decided not to wake me up and disturb my rest. I never heard a thing and was told about this when I went in to get a coffee in the morning. Pat |
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