Today, as I was walking home from a refreshing time in the woods of a local ravine, I saw the flash of emergency lights. Coming closer, I realized there were not just a few emergency vehicles, but, indeed, the police had cordoned off the entire block where I lived. Police cars, paramedic vehicles, fire trucks. Especially fire trucks.
I asked some of the local firemen if my place was OK. After I told them where I lived, he said the people above me had had a fire and the firemen had to punch out the locks from my door to get in my apartment. I secretly thought that the second part was pretty cool.
I spent the next few hours leading firemen and electric inspectors through my apartment, taking care of my neighbours, and doing things that needed to happen like sorting things out with my landlord and getting new deadbolts put on the door. Fortunately, there was no water or smoke damage to my apartment, but the neighbours upstairs have an apartment that looks like a small bomb went off in it.
In other news, we found out that my landlord has not had functional smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors in our place, and, according to the fire department, that's a big deal. Charges shall be pressed. The worst part of it is my neighbours' two year old girl is still in the hospital being checked out.
I am thankful it happened in the day, though, as the firemen says that if it were night, they'd have to be carrying people out. I may try and sleep somewhere else tonight.
3 comments:
wow! I'm so glad you are okay. How was there no water or smoke damage in your apartment while there was so much damage to the one above you? Do they know what caused the fire?
My brother's apartment had a fire once. They had to kick in every door of all 17+ floors, and it took him 3 weeks before they would let him back in to get his things, which were largely damaged.
Glad you were more fortunate.
“…we found out that my landlord has not had functional smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors in our place.” – That was unbelievable! I think it is a must for owners to install smoke detectors in their apartment building. Smoke detectors serve as a warning for tenants in case of emergencies. Fire incidents are a serious matter, and safety of the tenants should always be a priority for building owners.
Regards,
Soledad Feigenbaum
I hope by this time your landlord was able to put up smoke or fire alarms that will send off signals if there is a sign of fire. In the end, it’s always better to be ready or to be able to thwart the earliest sign of fire to prevent loss of lives and property damage.
Diane Blackburn
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