My parents’ house almost burned down yesterday in Prescott, AZ. Luckily, my father saw the smoke early and was able to call the Fire Department before the flames fully caught the house on fire. Here’s what went wrong, and how to never let this happen to your home.
It was a cold morning, early January 3rd, 2016 in Prescott, AZ. The first Sunday of the new year. As told by Michael Loperfido:
“Caught this fire in the nick of time. Going out the back door this morning…saw smoke coming from the porch deck, just then a small flame shot up right where the deck attaches to the house. Got a bucket of water and doused the flame but the smoldering would not stop…after several more buckets the smoldering led me to think there was potentially more fire. Called 911 and the fire trucks came out and chain-sawed the deck, then hosed the cross-beams which were half burned through. The fire dept did a thorough inspection in the crawl space and walls to ensure the fire had not spread.
This is when I am personally very grateful and thankful for the fire department. Had another half hour gone by undetected the woodpile would have caught and then the wood frame house as well.
Admitted error on my part was the cause of the fire and nothing else. I put the ashes from the previous night’s wood stove fire into a paper bag at about three in the afternoon. The fire had been out about 16 hours. The bag was not hot. I placed the bag under the wood pile to keep it dry to sprinkle on driveway and walkway ice.
To my surprise, ashes found their way to the deck and then fired. Lesson learned – ashes go in metal ash can with cover and should be kept away from house.”
So remember folks, NEVER assume a fire is completely out, even if it’s just ashes. ALWAYS dispose of ashes in a fire-safe bin with lid. A metal ash can with lid is a homesteader’s best friend – buy one here.
Glad you didn’t burn down the entire house Dad! Love you.
Do you have any house-scares of your own? Or perhaps more fire-safety tips? Share with us in the comments.
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[…] WARNING – Always dispose of your embers or ash in a Metal Ash Tin. Do this even if they haven’t been burning for hours, or you could end up burning your whole house down! DO THIS, so you won’t end up LIKE THIS! […]