"Don't wish me happiness I don't expect to be happy all the time....It's gotten beyond that somehow. Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor. I will need them all." Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Tuesday 10 March 2015

Chimney fire

The morning started out as normal. I got a fire going in the wood stove and then put some water on the gas stove. I then began to put away the clean dishes on the drying rack when I noticed a funny smell. It was something that I didn't recognize. I looked around at both stoves and everything looked normal. I walked over to the wood stove and looked up through the small hole that I framed where the stove pipe goes between the two floors. That's when I saw the red hot of fire burning in the hairline crack between the tightly screwed together pipes. That was something I had never seen before. I also saw that the room upstairs was filling with smoke and that's when I knew I had a chimney fire. I closed the dampers on the stove then I stepped over my happily playing toddler and went upstairs. In the smoky room I quickly began to gather an armload of our things and sent a prayer. I took our legal documents that I keep in a ziplock bag, my purse, my jewellery box as there is some sentimental jewellery from my child's father that I wish to give to her some day. I also gathered two scrapbooks/albums I made for my daughter, my bible and my daughter's favorite doll.
I took the armload downstairs and set it outside on the back deck. I went back inside to dress us as we were both still in our p.j.'s. If the cabin was going to burn down I wanted to leave with warm clothes on our back and pyjama's with our valuables. After I tended to the water pot on the stove I paused to look back up through the stovepipe opening in the floor and I realized the fire in the pipe was going down. I gathered my daughter in my arms and thanked God. I have been burning wet wood. Wet wood or green wood for that matter causes creosote to form in the chimney pipe. For the most part my fire has been smouldering for hours on end over this past week or so. For whatever reason I was able to get a good hot fire going and the result was that the creosote that had been created in the pipe caught fire. At some point during the day I suddenly remembered a stack of firewood that I had covered up as 'saving grace' last summer and up until now I had forgotten about it because it is located away from the other wood. Isn't grace a beautiful thing?

21 comments:

  1. Grace IS a beautiful thing. We had a chimney fire when i was a kid and I can still remember how scared I was. I must have been about 5 years old. I remember them throwing pans of water on the wall surrounding the chimney to cool the wall down...and we had to stand by the door to the outside. That is when my father took the old wood stove out of the living room and put a furnace in with a grate from downstairs..and it hooked up to a different chimney because the old one had failed.

    I am glad you and your daughter are safe and sound. Blessings- xo Diana

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    1. I am glad your story ended well. I was reluctant to put water in there as it has a glass door but I am looking online for dry fire retardant which is specifically for chimney fires. I hope this never happens again but I like to be prepared.

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  2. you just never know, from one moment to another, what is about to happen. Thankfully, you are both safe, as is your home.
    p.s. I so enjoy your blog.
    p.p.s. Thank you for all of the wisdom that you have shared in your previous posts...

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    1. I think you read my mind! I'm working on a post with your point of view in mind. Thank you for your kind words. It's nice to know I'm not just writing to myself.

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  3. So glad that you and your daughter are safe! How scary that must have been, but it sounds like you were calm and so glad you are okay!

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    1. Yes it was very scary. I knew I needed to be calm for my daughter's sake and so that I could respond to this as best as I could. Thank you for commenting.

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  4. Thank God is right. Happy to hear all ended well.

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    1. Yes everything is fine! Thank you for your comment and for reading.

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  5. Ronda, dear, dear Ronda.....you are not going to believe this, since we barely "met" just a few days ago...but, I thought of you yesterday. The first thing that came into my mind was FIRE. I said a quick and silent prayer in my heart for you. I tell you the truth here....fire was what came into my mind when you popped up in my thoughts.

    THANK GOD. THANK HIM, PRAISE HIM for your safety and that your home was spared!

    Much love, Anita

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    1. It actually happened a few days ago. I'm not a genius enough of a writer to post the events of the day the same day! I need a time lapse of a few days. There are exceptions to this but this post was not one of them. My apologies for any confusion. I am certain your prayers where needed somewhere yesterday even if you don't know where. Many blessings to you.

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  6. You are a cool customer, gathering your belongings and planning silently as you took care of yourself and your baby. I am not sure that I would have been that composed, but they do say that cooler heads prevail. I am glad that it all worked out and you are both safe and sound. You really never know what each day will bring...glad yours brought a safe and happy ending to that scary story! :)

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    1. Thanks Kim! Yes each day is a surprise isn't it?

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  7. My goodness Ronda - what an amazing story! I am SO thankful that the Lord watched over you and your daughter, and home in such an amazing way! We had to burn wet wood the first winter we lived in Idaho, and it was scary, because we knew the dangers of the buildup of creosote. I hope you can find more dry wood to burn, as it makes all the difference. I also find that wet wood burning makes my head/sinuses hurt. And, winter is close to being over too, so hopefully you can find some dry wood to last until then. Do you cut your own wood? You have so many challenges living by yourself, I will be keeping you in my daily prayers! Love and hugs to you today!

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    1. I'm hoping the pile of dry wood I found will see us through. I hire a faller to fall the tree and then I pay a very good island man to buck it up. Then I split it all. Thank you for your prayers. Sending hugs back!

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  8. Wow, what a scarey moment. You were clear headed to think of all the important stuff to grab. Well done. God Is So Good! Reading this gave me a shiver.
    I am glad all is well.
    xx oo
    Carla

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  9. Hello, I just read your post at A Joyful Cottage - you are truly amazing! I am looking forward to reading all of your previous posts -and also your new ones. You and your daughter are so blessed to have each other and how joyful you must feel knowing that God watches over you both.

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  10. Thank you and thank you for commenting. It's lovely to hear from you.

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  11. Glad all has worked out. When we used to burn wood we used to take a big brush to the stove pipe every summer to be ready for the winter months. When we burned coal it burned so hot the chimney always stayed clean. I love your blog, it will be fun watching your episodes and watching your daughter grow.

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    1. I'm glad your enjoying the blog. I put new pipe in last summer when I installed the new to me stove. Thanks for commenting.

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  12. That is totally frightening, if you ask me. Glad that the fired has settled in time for it not to bring so much damage. I guess that only means that it's time to get your chimney inspected and thoroughly assessed for the pupores of safety hazards. Thanks for sharing that, Ronda! Take care always!

    Florencio Emanuel @ Kerrisdale Roofing and Drains Ltd.

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