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srwug_alphanews2012-07-20 09:24 am
perfect-frost.livejournal.com) wrote in srwug_alphanews2012-07-20 09:24 am
Status update
So, first things first: I'm still on hiatus, but hopefully I'll be able to drop in once or twice a week to respond to posts as both Ciel and Allelujah now that I'm settled in to the temporary housing and have a feel for some of the nearby wifi hotspots. McDonalds actually proving itself useful; astounding.
Now that that's out of the way, a quick update on the fire itself: The fire department declared the fire accidental after discovering a lot of burned cigarette butts in what remained of one of the wooden flower pots. Apparently the people my brother had invited to his party were smoking and thought that the mulch wouldn't catch, not realizing that mulch is a wood-based soil. One of the butts caught, and once the fire had spread down to the wood of the deck, it began threatening the stove. The propane tank released its safety valve to prevent itself from exploding, but that made the stove a virtual flamethrower, which is why the house went up so quick.
As for the results, the damage from the fire was, thank god, purely external. There was some mild structural damage to the NE corner of the house, but they won't be having to rip apart the entire house from the ground up. The deck is torched, so we'll have to get a new one of those, and the chimney is destroyed all the way to the roof; four windows were blown in from the heat. All replaceable. The sprinkler system kept the fire from getting inside, but in turn caused a lot of water damage; in addition, it soaked the insulation and such in the ceiling, so the entire ceiling collapsed. So, downside, everything not under cover in a room with a sprinkler system was soaked through and destroyed. The good news: Aside from the piano, which we've been meaning to get rid of anyway, there was nothing of sentimental value destroyed, and most of the expensive electronics such as the sound systems, gaming stuff, computers, etc. etc. were either under cover or in a room that didn't have the sprinklers go off. None of the items lost, piano aside, were worth more than fifty dollars with the exception of my brother's desktop - which really sucks for him, but all things said and done, one computer is not a huge loss.
And then there's the current situation: My family and I have been settled into a local Residence Inn for the moment. Aside from some sleepless nights and stress-based illness, we're doing fine. Nobody was hurt, and we're all just trying to settle back into a normal routine. Estimates say that it will be at least another two months before the house is in livable condition; given that the Waldo Canyon Fire did so much damage, I'm estimating closer to three or four months before things actually get settled.
Nothing else to really say, but I wanted you all to know that yes, everybody is alright and nobody got hurt, and that all things considered we're on the "less screwed" end of fire victims.
Now that that's out of the way, a quick update on the fire itself: The fire department declared the fire accidental after discovering a lot of burned cigarette butts in what remained of one of the wooden flower pots. Apparently the people my brother had invited to his party were smoking and thought that the mulch wouldn't catch, not realizing that mulch is a wood-based soil. One of the butts caught, and once the fire had spread down to the wood of the deck, it began threatening the stove. The propane tank released its safety valve to prevent itself from exploding, but that made the stove a virtual flamethrower, which is why the house went up so quick.
As for the results, the damage from the fire was, thank god, purely external. There was some mild structural damage to the NE corner of the house, but they won't be having to rip apart the entire house from the ground up. The deck is torched, so we'll have to get a new one of those, and the chimney is destroyed all the way to the roof; four windows were blown in from the heat. All replaceable. The sprinkler system kept the fire from getting inside, but in turn caused a lot of water damage; in addition, it soaked the insulation and such in the ceiling, so the entire ceiling collapsed. So, downside, everything not under cover in a room with a sprinkler system was soaked through and destroyed. The good news: Aside from the piano, which we've been meaning to get rid of anyway, there was nothing of sentimental value destroyed, and most of the expensive electronics such as the sound systems, gaming stuff, computers, etc. etc. were either under cover or in a room that didn't have the sprinklers go off. None of the items lost, piano aside, were worth more than fifty dollars with the exception of my brother's desktop - which really sucks for him, but all things said and done, one computer is not a huge loss.
And then there's the current situation: My family and I have been settled into a local Residence Inn for the moment. Aside from some sleepless nights and stress-based illness, we're doing fine. Nobody was hurt, and we're all just trying to settle back into a normal routine. Estimates say that it will be at least another two months before the house is in livable condition; given that the Waldo Canyon Fire did so much damage, I'm estimating closer to three or four months before things actually get settled.
Nothing else to really say, but I wanted you all to know that yes, everybody is alright and nobody got hurt, and that all things considered we're on the "less screwed" end of fire victims.