What Happened Here?!

Several nights ago, around 3 AM, Terry and I were wakened by the sound of sirens...

Police? Fire engines? Both?!

The following day, we discovered that there had been a house fire in our neighbourhood - only a few blocks away. Neighbors had seen flames and called 9-1-1. Two people had been taken to hospital.

We drove past the house to see...

How awful! I wonder what happened. Did they not have smoke detectors?!

The last fire I remember in our community was on a sunny but windy afternoon when someone was barbecuing on an apartment balcony. The balcony caught fire.

Just a year ago, the sister of a friend made the mistake of going downstairs instead of leaving the building when she saw smoke coming out of the basement. I wonder if I'd have done the dame thing...

As a teacher, I used to appreciate Fire Prevention Week at school when we were all taught - or reminded - what to do in case of a fire.

Some of the tips I still remember were:

• If a pot of oil bursts into flames on a stove, just put on the lid. Don't move the pot. (Then turn off the heat.) Lack of air puts out a fire. 
• Make a family evacuation plan with a meeting place and talk about it regularly with all who live there. 
• Make sure all fire alarms work.
• If you smoke, never smoke in bed - or anywhere else you might fall asleep. 

I think it's good to talk about these things from time to time, so that there's no hesitation in doing the right thing.