Thursday, March 18, 2010

The Knitter's Husband

Our house caught on fire yesterday.

Now don't worry. The damage was minor and everyone is okay. It was one of those freak accidents that couldn't happen, but somehow does.

The chickens have outgrown the fish tank they were living in, so my husband rigged up a new enclosure for them using parts from some of our dog crates. Somehow, the heat lamp on top of the cage got knocked onto the carpet, heat side down. Apparently, the carpet smoldered for some time before finally catching on fire. I had already left the house when the smoke alarm in my son's room went off. Fortunately, my husband was home. When he got to the room, it was completely full of smoke and flames were shooting up off the carpet. He got the chickens out (they were understandably frantic) and put out the flames. [Our next door neighbors, alerted by the smoke alarm, also came running. You've gotta love good neighbors.]

There are two reasons I'm telling you this. The first is that the smoke alarm in the hallway outside the room did not go off. It is working and hardwired into the house, but the smoke had not traveled far enough to set it off. It is only because we also have battery-operated smoke detectors in every bedroom that my husband was alerted to the fire before it engulfed the entire room. This is an important lesson that I want to share with everyone: just because you have a smoke detector in your house, do not assume it will save your house or your family in the event of a fire! Put a smoke detector in every room, especially the bedrooms. The faster you are alerted to the fire, the better chance you will have of putting it out or escaping the fire. I cannot emphasize this enough. If we hadn't had a smoke detector in the bedroom, I have no doubt we would have had a much more serious situation on our hands. Please, if you don't have a smoke detector, or don't have enough, take care of the situation asap. The battery powered ones are inexpensive and easy to install. Put one in every bedroom, every hall, and your garage. [As a side note, none of the dogs alerted us to the smoke. Sophie and Sam didn't wake up, and Heidi ran outside without telling anyone. Great survival instincts, that one, but she's not exactly Lassie.]

The second reason I'm sharing is this: the very first thing my husband thought to do after putting out the flames was to stuff a bath towel into the crack under the door of my knitting room to protect the yarn from the smoke! Dude. There must be some sort of medal for that!

22 comments:

Wanderingcatstudio said...

Sound advice - and that's one smart man!

Wollgut said...

OMG. Glad to hear everyone is alright! I don't believe the husband story. That's too thoughtful. Not just too thoughtful for a man, but too thoughtful, period. Not after an accident like that! No way. You made that up.

(Have the chickens recovered?)

sheep#100 said...

You've probably noticed that hotels have smoke detectors in every room, right?

Glad everyone and almost every thing is okay.

weezalana said...

OMG! First, glad everyone is okay and the damage was minimal. I tend to think the smoke alarms are ugly and loud pains in the asses when they go off (which is only when Hubster is cooking, I swear), but it's good to remember they are there to save your life and home.

Second, DUDE. Your husband definitely gets "KH of the Year" for that move!

P.S. I like how Heidi decided just to save herself. I wonder what was going through her mind - "Screw the rest of you, ruff ruff!"

Fibra Artysta said...

Wow, glad to hear that everything is okay, how scary!

Excellent move by husband - that's a man who has paid some solid attention to the yarny goodness in the house! :)

Sharon said...

Tragedy averted on many levels. So glad to know that all is well. Thank you Mr. Yarnhog for quick thinking, taking the extra step to protect the yarn stash! This is a great argument for knitters being up front with their partners about how much we really spend on yarn. Your husband knew the value of your investment!

5elementknitr said...

He's a good man!

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness the crisis was averted. Maybe it would've been funny if the dog alerted everyone but the husband ran out of the house...; )

Strickmuse said...

Wow, that is a scary incident. I am glad it was discovered on time and the smoke detectors went off. All people and animals are safe.
Applauding your husband.

Diane2knit said...

Glad everything worked out, and all is safe - including the stash!

So, not to be toooo insensitive, but does that officially make them smoked chickens?

sophanne said...

so glad all is well. way to go Mr. Yarnhog!

Suzanne said...

Wow! I am so glad everything is okay. You are right - a smoke detector in every room! Your husband is sure considerate, what a guy!

Mother of Chaos said...

Whoa! I am soooo glad this didn't end in disaster.

And the mister is definitely a keeper. Way to think on your feet!!

Unknown said...

What a man! So glad that it wasn't worse. Give that guy an extra dessert or something.

caknitter said...

Thank goodness no one was hurt and everyone is okay.
Man, your husband deserves the knitter's medal of honor for just having the instinct to save the yarn room.

pdxknitterati/MicheleLB said...

Glad your family & the chickens are all ok! And thanks to DH for saving the yarn...

Anonymous said...

Awesome husband. Lame dog. Glad damage was minor.

marit said...

What a scare!!! I agree with you on the smokedetectors- but if you use batteryoperated ones: Remember to check/ change batteries once a year! Here in Norway January 1st is check day. We are being told by lots of ads and tv commercials, and we get one new battery in the mail from the insurance company.
So glad noone got hurt. Also, you have a very thoughtful husband!

For Sheep Sakes said...

I'm glad everyone is OK. We also have a hard-wired sensor right outside our bedroom but I often wonder about it. My husband has installed some battery ones in other areas of the house but maybe we will think about adding more.
We also have a dog named Heidi. I'm sure she would have done the same thing... save herself!
And your hubby... he's a keeper!

Unknown said...

Wow! Thank goodness for that smoke detector. It could have turned out a lot worse. A god bless your husband for his quick thinking with that towel :)

SwissKnits! said...

I am happy to hear that everyone is SAFE!!!!!!

Thank you for the reminder!! Life gets hectic and it's so easy to forget something so simple...

=Tamar said...

Don't just replace the batteries - test the smoke detectors, and test them with actual smoke. I've seen them fail the real-smoke test even when the batteries were brand new and perfect (tested with battery tester) and the button test worked.