Fire Safety and protections from the flames
Hi everyone,
As you already know I am a Certified Home Inspector licensed in West Virginia and Maryland. I am licensed for Septic Installations and perc tests in West Virginia and also Septic inspections in West Virginia and Maryland. I am a licensed General Contractor in West Virginia and have been for almost 20 or so years. I have been appalled lately by some of the videos I’ve seen of other home inspectors, the homes they are inspecting, it is just like the contractors just don’t care about anyone. Of course the flippers don’t want to do the things right, they gotta make money. What about the real contractors, the people who build houses day in and day out. Sadly it appears they have little regard for their reputation everything just hinges around making more bucks.
I haven’t been on here to write any blogs, but this issue is important. Last year July 12th 2024 we had the unfortunate event of having a car catch fire in the basement garage of our home. Praise to Lord God Almighty that my family and I were able to make it out safely. We thought we lost our cat, but she was found later very dirty, but okay and still seems to be so far. Ask yourself “if you only had left tomorrow what you thanked God for today what would you have left” and be sure to thank God for what you have especially your family.
My little girl had lost her cat about two weeks prior to this fire. She was making friends with the other cat, which, well wasn’t exactly a people lover. Jesus cautions us strongly over and over when it is time to flee don’t go back into the house to get anything. Please follow his advice and don’t do what I did, I went back in for the cat “Mittens”. Mittens lived downstairs mostly that was her territory the other cat “Lucy” ruled the upstairs. Lucy had snuck out of the house one evening the couple weeks earlier and I found her in the road as I was leaving for work. Lucy was my daughter’s favorite, but I digress. Let me kinda go back to the beginning.
1967 Ford Mustang
I had a 1967 Ford Mustang in the garage which was also the basement of the house. I wanted to pull it out and put it for sale up beside the road. Proverbs 10:22 says “the blessings of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” This car was a blessing when I first purchased it, but with kids and a job it only brought me sorrow and took up space. I needed room in the garage to work on things with the kids more than I needed this car sitting there. My oldest son said I couldn’t sell it cause he never got to hear it run. Well I’m not sure he or my daughter will ever forget it running now. It started right up and was running great. The transmission was a 3 speed automatic. The torque converter was drawing in fluid as it had sat awhile. The car would lurch forward and then pause, lurch again and pause. The car finally started to move decently and then stalled. I hit the key to “fire” it back up, but it backfired and literally “fired up”. Flames started first underneath, then another backfire and up through the carburetor. My oldest son and my daughter were in the basement with me. My wife threw me the fire extinguisher from the kitchen, it did nothing. I grabbed my son and daughter and my wife grabbed the baby. I still have nightmares about carrying my daughter out of the basement. You see she wanted a pink toolbox for Christmas of 2023. She saw it in the store and told my wife all she wanted was that pink tool box so she could work on things with her daddy. What dad could say no to that? So a pink tool box she got and her dad carried her out of the basement tool box and all. After all the people were out safely, my wife the three kids, I went back in and grabbed the dogs Lady and Mario. Now all that was left was Mittens. Back in I go. She was upstairs hiding from the smoke. The interiors of 1967 Mustangs make very black smoke which I’m told are full of toxins. I found Mittens beside one of the couches in the living room, but she ran away when I tried to grab her. Where did she run to? Her safe place of course…. the basement/garage. I followed her down the stairs and watched in horror as she ran right through the flames. On my security system you could hear me yell “MITTENS” all the way from the basement. I couldn’t get through the flames and gave up and went outside. Thank you to the folks from the Halleck Fire Department for arriving on scene so quickly. A big apology to all the folks who had to sit in traffic on 119 while the road was closed.
So fire department puts car fire out. I’m not sure how many gallons of water it took, the basement was soaked. They told me their cameras were still showing some hot spots on the car so I drug the car outside to be sure it didn’t reignite inside. Next I was determined to find Mittens. Mittens came to us several years earlier. We have chickens and used to have goats. One year we had turkeys as well. My wife had to go out of town for some training and when she got back she wanted to go see the turkeys and the goats having missed them for the week. She sees something small and black rolling around with all the turkeys huddled around it. She thinks “did the turkeys hatch an egg in a week?” No, it was Mittens. She was very malnourished and had a bad hernia. There is a whole different story about the origins of Mittens and Mitten’s Dad and Mitten’s Grandma I’ll have to share another time. We took her to the vet and she became mine I suppose; do cats really belong to anyone? Now the reason she isn’t a people cat is right after the hernia surgery my wife’s cousin came to visit and he wouldn’t set her down the whole time he was there. Anytime someone would visit she would disappear to the basement. Which is where she ran in the time of crisis, also.
Mittens the Kitten
So with car out of the garage and everything thrown every which where from the fire crew and soaking wet from the firehose I start searching for Mittens. I’m determined, whatever state she is in I’m finding my cat. Finally all the way in the back of the garage, under some insulation that had fallen down, can it be? It was! Yes! It is Mittens! Is she alive? I’m not sure, she doesn’t look great, but she moves! Yes, she’s alive. My wife and kids go to my in-laws’ house to stay, because, well you can’t stay in a house contaminated with soot and toxins.
I take Mittens to the emergency vet, cause well it is an emergency don’t you think? I get there and they are still doing Covid protocol. I’m like “I thought this was over” I think I was supposed to call a number and wait in line or something. Do I have my phone? I don’t know? What really? No?!… Okay go knock on the door, there are people willing to help, someone will understand. I walk up to the door. The door opens just as I get there and the nice lady asks what she can do to help, who else but God can do that? I tell her what happened and she takes Mittens right back. Then I sit there for what felt like an eternity waiting…. could’ve only been 10 minutes, remember no phone. Anyway a lady comes out and says the doctor wants to talk to me. I’m like “great, I find my cat and she didn’t make it” He comes out a little bit later. Mittens is fine! Praise to the Lord! Mittens is doing okay. He asks me if I’m sure she went through a fire. I say yes I know see the the singed hairs on my arms where I tried to get her? He said her lungs sound okay, she is very dirty, she needs a bath, but she is okay.
Mittens the Cat after her bath and now is resting and regaining her strength.
So you would think this is the worst of this story. Sadly the saga continues.
Come back to hear more of the tale of the people who had the fire as we have become known as.
The biggest take away or moral of this part of the story is protection from the flames. Your home needs smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Click this link to go to the West Virginia Fire Marshall’s Public Education site, there you can learn more about Carbon Monoxide and Smoke detectors, microwave safety, and many other useful topics. Keep fire extinguishers readily accessible in the home. Especially in the kitchen and the garage. Most importantly remember to follow Jesus’ advice and get out! Don’t go back in!
Now, that is protection for your home, what about you and your soul? Not many people talk of hell as the everlasting lake of fire as it is. Remember there are only two places we go when we die either Heaven or hell. For protection from the eternal flames turn to Jesus. Jesus says in Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Here is the link to keep reading the next installment titled “Homeowner’s insurance, Renter’s Insurance, and most importantly Blessed Assurance”
