Wednesday, December 14, Maine

Part 1 - What's Happened - The Fire

Wow.... So very much has happened in the past month since my last post. I was going to post about my sister and her partner's trip to the Finger Lakes, but stuff happened, and Thanksgiving came so quickly.

The Finger Lakes trip will have to wait a bit as there is a more pressing reason I have not posted in so long.

I have been displaced for the winter (at least) due to a fire in my apartment building a few weeks ago. It started outside on the first floor according to the reports. It manifested itself with a ton of smoke. I was very tired that day, and was getting ready to settle into bed early with some dinner and TV. I must have dozed off for a few minutes prior to my plans. I woke to the smell of smoke, and when I went into the living room there was a great deal of smoke billowing up through the floor. I opened the hall door and screamed for my neighbors across and upstairs. 911 was called.

Then I did the one thing you are not supposed to do. I went back in to try to get my cats. I keep their carriers out in case of emergency. The smoke was very thick and black at this point, and my neighbors were screaming at me to get out of the building. I finally did.

The firefighters arrived quickly, and fortunately the building was not a total loss. All humans got out. All pets got out alive thanks to the wonderful, amazing firefighters. All of us had pets (mostly cats), and all survived. Those guys were amazing.Totally. Absolutely.

I called my brother (he lives about 1/2 mile away), and he arrived very soon after. I was in my PJs and bathrobe, and the head fire guy kept wanting me to leave. I would not leave the scene until all my cats had been brought down. (Yeah I am very stubborn that way. I would not leave without them.)

We (tenants) were not allowed to re-enter the building until a few days later. I was horrified with the initial shock of seeing the extent of the damage from inside. Besides a bunch of windows they had to break open, an entire wall and a half of my living room were missing. My apartment sustained the most damage, unfortunately.

I have never been in a fire before, and it is not an experience I care to repeat (or keep reliving)! There was not a lot of fire, fortunately, as it is an old Victorian style building and could have gone up like a tinder box. Mostly very heavy smoke damage.

The kitties and I stayed at my brother's for about 2 weeks. It will take 3 to 4 months for the building rehab, which is the winter. My brother's place is pretty small, and I have to give him a lot of credit for putting up with me and my 4 (alive!!) kitties. I basically overran his living room between my stuff, which was not really that much, and two ex-dog crates that housed my kitttles while I was there.

I will post again within a day or so with "the rest of the story" (as Paul Harvey used to say).

I am alive, well, safe and warm. My cats are alive, well, safe and warm. That, in the end, is really THE most important thing.

All the rest is..... just stuff.