Apartment Disaster

When you hear an explosion, and see something on fire fall past your window, you know that all is not well in the world.

Mike jumped out of bed and ran outside to see what was going on.  I threw some clothes over my pajamas and grabbed my laptop and medications, the two things I figured I would need/want if we had to leave suddenly.

I heard the water streaming into our apartment before I saw it.  Down the walls, around the light fixtures, right through the ceiling.   I grabbed some buckets from under my bathroom sink and tried to put them under the heaviest waterfalls.  It was a horrible feeling to see all that water coming in, knowing there was nothing I could do to stop it.

By this time there were fire truck sirens and lights blaring through the windows.  Mike burst into the apartment and said vehemently, "We have to get you out."  I could see firemen tramping by in the background.

Oddly enough, I felt very calm and not at all worried about my personal safety.  I persuaded Mike to unplug our TV and move it away from the walls.  Then we both went outside and watched the firemen.

It was soon clear that the apartment above us was where the fire originated.  No one was hurt, which was a huge relief.  For the next hour and a half, we sat on the cold damp steps outside the building, waiting to be let back in and see how bad the damage would be.  Despite it being long after one in the morning, a large crowd of neighbors gathered.

The firemen were awesome.  It was thanks to them that our stuff was saved.  They went into our apartment and piled our belongings in the parts of the apartment that were not receiving water.  They moved my dresser, which belonged to my great-grandfather (and is incredibly heavy) out of a stream of water.  They took our wedding photos off the walls and stored them on a table.  They threw tarps over our bed and most of our possessions. 
It was discouraging and heartbreaking to come back in to see the mess.  But as it turned out, we really didn't loose much, and for that we are both really grateful.

Living room afterwards

Bedroom afterwards

Drying out the carpets, the stains on the walls, and dealing with apartment management has been the real headache.  But all in all, we were very blessed.