Fire

Well, I am online using some bullshit Telus mobile internet stick (it sucks thus far) on my netbook and thought I'd try my best to tell the tale of my fucked up life the past few days.

I went to bed on thursday around 3 like any other work day, fell asleep pretty quick and the next thing I remember is waking up and hearing someone yelling. I wasn't sure if I'd actually heard it or dreamed it or what, so I sat up ever so slightly and heard clearly "Your house is on fire" being yelled from somewhere, perhaps outside my window.

Still 95% asleep, I threw on my clothes, ran upstairs, looked out the back window and saw/heard nothing. No smoke alarms were going off, and in fact, i couldn't even smell anything. At this point i honestly though that perhaps I'd heard someone yelling something else from far away, or that I was going crazy or SOMETHING.

I walked down to the garage door anyway and opened it. That's when a wall of smoke poured into the house and burned my lungs almost instantly. I closed the door and ran out the front instead.

Nearly as soon as I had stepped out I saw the flames on top of the garage and the neighbour from across the way standing on the driveway. I think all I could muster at that point was "what the fuck" over and over and over. I don't think I even asked it as a question.

I asked if anyone had called the fire department and he informed that his son had just called them and they were on the way. I walked in barefeet to the top of our property and just looked at the garage burn, the siding melt and fall off.

I ran to my brothers car which was parked not far from the burning garage and opened it to find no keys, so I ran back inside to his room and dug around until I found them, ran back down to my room, grabbed my phone and my hat (I needed that, you see) and then back out.

I hopped in his car, which was already absurdly hot just sitting next to the flames and moved it onto the road then moved my own onto the grass.

then I just stood there stunned as negbours and people began to gather and watch exactly what I was watching.

I was alone, scared but mostly dazed like I'd never been before in my life.

Someone asked me if there was anything I wanted to run back in and try and save before it got worse. I had no answer.

one of our long time family friends ran over and probably hugged me harder than i have ever been hugged in my life. I don't think she let go the entire time I was standing there as she asked over and over what was taking the fire guys so long.

I can't describe the feeling I had, only that I wished my mom or dad or someone in my family could be there. but I was alone.

I then tried countless times to call every single person in my family and extended family that I could think off. Nobody answered and it made me livid.

I couldn't tell them where my mom was, only that I knew she had gone out for lunch with my aunties earlier in the day and hadn't been back.

Someone offered me shoes and I took them but they didn't fit. The other neibour across the street took his sandles off and told me to "make them fit" in a joking voice. I did and stood some more.

Eventually fire trucks showed up. I'm told it was seven minutes for the lead truck to show up (which isn't a real fire truck, so he could do nothing) and a few or five more minutes for real firefighters to show up.

I can't really recall anything else except being asked a lot of the same questions by some cops and a fire guy and one fire fighter bringing out my sisters cat. I took it and put it in my car.

My auntie called me and I could hear the fear in her voice as she screamed "Danny, your house is on fire" I think I said something VERY close to"no shit, I've been standing out here for half an hour trying to fucking call every fucking person I know but nobody answers the fucking phone" all she said after that is that my mom was with her and they were on the way.

I, of course wasn't meaning to come off as rude, but I have to admit that I was livid at the time.

My uncle and aunt who live not far away showed up. someone had called them. She ran to me with tears in her eyes and just about knocked me over when she hugged me.

The fire eventually went out and I knew it was worse than it looked when they told me it went through the attic and toward the rear of the house.

My mom showed up some time later (it felt like hours, but I have no idea) and I can honestly say that I saw a look in her eyes and a fear in her voice that I never have and never fucking want to again in my entire life. I will never ever forget it.

she looked completely out of it and hugged me and probably said something that I can't recall.

Eventually I got to go into the basement level since it wasn't bad and got to grab my computer, some clothes, my wallet and probably some other shit.

then I sat on the ledge near the garage and watched in another daze.

My older brother called me at some point and when I told him what happened he sounded like a different person completely and told me he was on his way.

He arrived and found me in the crowd and started crying as he grabbed me and told me he was so sorry for not answering his phone the first time I called. I told him it wouldn't have made a difference and for the first time, broke down in tears.

I don't know what else to say. My dad raced home from work that night and probably arrived in like half an hour since he drove at the speed of sound.

It was 1 or 2 in the morning before he arrived and it was also very hard to watch him.

The next few days were just insane, Everyone came over to help and to sit and to talk. Everyone. I guess that is a plus to having the most awesome family in the world. They all care, they all want to help, even if it is just to be there.

Everyone is fine, which probably goes without saying. I wouldn't be going on about this if they weren't, but the house is pretty much gone in that it either has to be mowed down or gutted completely to the skeleton and rebuilt from that.

We've been staying at the neighbours who are the same family friend people I was talking about. So it's not really awkward or anything. They are awesome people.

We are looking to rent a place hopefully somewhere not far away and live in that as long as we have to, though.

I don't really care about anything and just want it all to be over with.

Random pictures (if this thing will work):























Bonus cell phone picture I only slightly remember taking:




PS. there might be doubles in there, I dont feel like checking. blogger is fucking cumbersome.

pps. this post was also brought to you by safeway's free wifi from the parking lot.