A wild X-mass for the family this year...
Cast of characters...
Me (narrator): Craig F. (youngest sibling)
Melissa : My sister (middle sibling)
Susan : My sister (oldest sibling) Used to be an EMT
Christopher : My nephiew (Susans son)
Hillary : Melissas fiance
Pat : Susans boyfriend
Pete : Susans neighbor
I had just arrived at Susans apartment at about 7:00 PM after working 1/2 day on X-mass eve. Sue lives in apartment 4C in her building.
At about 7:10 PM, Susan went and borrowed a cork-screw from the woman in apartment 4F.
At about 7:20 PM, I start to put my jacket back on to go over to Melissas apartment (accross the courtyard from Sues building) to wrap a few last-minute gifts (RE: all of them). Just then, the woman from 4F knocked on Susans door very loudly.
When Susan opened the door to the hall there was smoke coming from the top of the door to apartment 4E.
The Woman from 4F said she had just heard a loud crash from next door (4E) and can't get Pete (the man who lives in 4E) to answer his door.
Pete is in his 60s-70s, has a heart condition, smokes heavily and was helped from the courtyard up to his apartment (obviously drunk) by Melissa and Hill just a few minutes before I had arrived.
Sue ran and looked out her bedroom window and saw flames in Petes livingroom window.
Sue called 911.
Sue and I then went out on the fire escape to try to break into Petes place through his kitchen window (opens on same escape). As we passed by on the way to Petes window, we saw the neighbor in 4D asleep on his couch. I pounded on his window to wake him up. He's a bit hard of hearing and hadn't woken up from the noise and yelling in the hall yet.
By the time we were ready to go through Petes window, Christopher yelled out Sues window that Hill had succeded in kicking in Petes front door (steel door). It turns out that Hill holds a black-belt in Tai-Kwon-Do.
Hill crawled into the apartment and dragged Pete out into the hall while Pat stayed by the door with the Sues small, kitchen fire extingusher making lots of noise so Hill could find his way out of the smoke again... Pat shut the apartment door after Hill was back out with Pete.
By the time I got back in through Sues window and out to the hall, Hill had determined that Pete had a weak pulse but was having trouble breathing. Hill began 'assistance' breathing untill a retired fireman from the next building ran up the stairs and took over.
Hill, Sue and the retired fireman then carried pete down to the 3rd floor to get out of the smoke building up in the 4th floor hallway while I started helping some of the older people and children down the stairs and out of the building.
The firetrucks showed up about then and the firemen hauled the hoses up to the 4th floor and put the fire out.
Pete was taken to the nearest hospital with a burn unit but they don't know if he will survive as he was already quite weak and was burned on his hands and head prety badly (last I heard, he's still in critical). He had his leather jacket on when the fire started or he could have been burned much worse.
Apparently he fell asleep or passed out on the couch after lighting a cigarette and that set the couch on fire. The firemen found the water running in the bathroom and a kitchen pot on the floor in the livingroom so they think he woke up when he got burned by the fire and tried to put it out but was then overcome by the smoke.
Since everyone stayed cool and reacted quickly and appropriately, there were no further injuries and only Petes apartment was destroyed (it's gutted). The fire marshal in charge of the investigation complemented us on doing everything right and said he wished everyone involved in a fire reacted so well as it makes his job LOTS easier.
The appartment below Petes got water damage and we could hear power saws and banging from the 5th floor for a while afterwords so I think they tore up some of the floor of the apartment above Petes to be sure nothing was smoldering anywhere.
After everything quieted down and we had eaten dinner and opened presents etc. I went home and Melissa & Hill went to Hills house.
I eventualy got to bed around 4 AM.
Around 10 AM X-mass day the phone rang. It's Sue. She took a shower to wash off the smoke smell and fell getting out of the shower. She was prety sure she broke her left elbow (she thought it was just a real bad sprain/funnybone hit at first) and noone she knew nearby with a car was available to take her to the hospital and she didn't want to call an ambulance or take a cab...
I quickly got dressed and rushed back up to her apartment and drove her to the hospital in the rain. A few hours later we drove back to her place in what had become a hail storm. Driving on a carpet of 1/4 inch balls of wet ice was just loads of fun even with 4 wheel drive.
We got back to Sues and I walked her into her building and then parked the truck on the side street next to her apartment (it's on a hill). The hail has now turned to heavy snow fall.
Later when I tried to leave for home I found I was stuck in the snow and ice and due to my boneheaded stubbornness in trying to get the truck out, I succeded in breaking the tail light of the car parked in front of my truck. I left a note on his windshield (had to burry it under the snow) and went back upstairs to spend the night on Sues couch.
The owner of the car I broke the taillight on and I dug out both cars in the morning. He'll let me know what the cost of the taillight is on Saturday after he takes it to the shop to find out. Neither of us had any desire to involve insurance in a broken piece of plastic and I'm sure it'll be less than my deductable anyway. Not a mark on my truck.
As it turns out, Sue has a minor angular fracture of the ulna very near the joint so they did not splint it. Sue went to see an orthapedic specialist after I left for home Thursday morning.
-----------
SIDE NOTE:
When Hill and Melissa got home late X-mass eve, the house 2 doors up from his was on fire and sourounded by fire trucks.
While talking to his neighbor on the other side from the fire, the subject of the fire at Sues place came up. Surprisingly, the woman already knew all about it as she turns out to be the retired firemans girlfriend and he had called her a little while earlier...
Go figgure. Small world, eh?
Well, my X-mass was exciting, how about yours?
-Craig
Cast of characters...
Me (narrator): Craig F. (youngest sibling)
Melissa : My sister (middle sibling)
Susan : My sister (oldest sibling) Used to be an EMT
Christopher : My nephiew (Susans son)
Hillary : Melissas fiance
Pat : Susans boyfriend
Pete : Susans neighbor
I had just arrived at Susans apartment at about 7:00 PM after working 1/2 day on X-mass eve. Sue lives in apartment 4C in her building.
At about 7:10 PM, Susan went and borrowed a cork-screw from the woman in apartment 4F.
At about 7:20 PM, I start to put my jacket back on to go over to Melissas apartment (accross the courtyard from Sues building) to wrap a few last-minute gifts (RE: all of them). Just then, the woman from 4F knocked on Susans door very loudly.
When Susan opened the door to the hall there was smoke coming from the top of the door to apartment 4E.
The Woman from 4F said she had just heard a loud crash from next door (4E) and can't get Pete (the man who lives in 4E) to answer his door.
Pete is in his 60s-70s, has a heart condition, smokes heavily and was helped from the courtyard up to his apartment (obviously drunk) by Melissa and Hill just a few minutes before I had arrived.
Sue ran and looked out her bedroom window and saw flames in Petes livingroom window.
Sue called 911.
Sue and I then went out on the fire escape to try to break into Petes place through his kitchen window (opens on same escape). As we passed by on the way to Petes window, we saw the neighbor in 4D asleep on his couch. I pounded on his window to wake him up. He's a bit hard of hearing and hadn't woken up from the noise and yelling in the hall yet.
By the time we were ready to go through Petes window, Christopher yelled out Sues window that Hill had succeded in kicking in Petes front door (steel door). It turns out that Hill holds a black-belt in Tai-Kwon-Do.
Hill crawled into the apartment and dragged Pete out into the hall while Pat stayed by the door with the Sues small, kitchen fire extingusher making lots of noise so Hill could find his way out of the smoke again... Pat shut the apartment door after Hill was back out with Pete.
By the time I got back in through Sues window and out to the hall, Hill had determined that Pete had a weak pulse but was having trouble breathing. Hill began 'assistance' breathing untill a retired fireman from the next building ran up the stairs and took over.
Hill, Sue and the retired fireman then carried pete down to the 3rd floor to get out of the smoke building up in the 4th floor hallway while I started helping some of the older people and children down the stairs and out of the building.
The firetrucks showed up about then and the firemen hauled the hoses up to the 4th floor and put the fire out.
Pete was taken to the nearest hospital with a burn unit but they don't know if he will survive as he was already quite weak and was burned on his hands and head prety badly (last I heard, he's still in critical). He had his leather jacket on when the fire started or he could have been burned much worse.
Apparently he fell asleep or passed out on the couch after lighting a cigarette and that set the couch on fire. The firemen found the water running in the bathroom and a kitchen pot on the floor in the livingroom so they think he woke up when he got burned by the fire and tried to put it out but was then overcome by the smoke.
Since everyone stayed cool and reacted quickly and appropriately, there were no further injuries and only Petes apartment was destroyed (it's gutted). The fire marshal in charge of the investigation complemented us on doing everything right and said he wished everyone involved in a fire reacted so well as it makes his job LOTS easier.
The appartment below Petes got water damage and we could hear power saws and banging from the 5th floor for a while afterwords so I think they tore up some of the floor of the apartment above Petes to be sure nothing was smoldering anywhere.
After everything quieted down and we had eaten dinner and opened presents etc. I went home and Melissa & Hill went to Hills house.
I eventualy got to bed around 4 AM.
Around 10 AM X-mass day the phone rang. It's Sue. She took a shower to wash off the smoke smell and fell getting out of the shower. She was prety sure she broke her left elbow (she thought it was just a real bad sprain/funnybone hit at first) and noone she knew nearby with a car was available to take her to the hospital and she didn't want to call an ambulance or take a cab...
I quickly got dressed and rushed back up to her apartment and drove her to the hospital in the rain. A few hours later we drove back to her place in what had become a hail storm. Driving on a carpet of 1/4 inch balls of wet ice was just loads of fun even with 4 wheel drive.
We got back to Sues and I walked her into her building and then parked the truck on the side street next to her apartment (it's on a hill). The hail has now turned to heavy snow fall.
Later when I tried to leave for home I found I was stuck in the snow and ice and due to my boneheaded stubbornness in trying to get the truck out, I succeded in breaking the tail light of the car parked in front of my truck. I left a note on his windshield (had to burry it under the snow) and went back upstairs to spend the night on Sues couch.
The owner of the car I broke the taillight on and I dug out both cars in the morning. He'll let me know what the cost of the taillight is on Saturday after he takes it to the shop to find out. Neither of us had any desire to involve insurance in a broken piece of plastic and I'm sure it'll be less than my deductable anyway. Not a mark on my truck.
As it turns out, Sue has a minor angular fracture of the ulna very near the joint so they did not splint it. Sue went to see an orthapedic specialist after I left for home Thursday morning.
-----------
SIDE NOTE:
When Hill and Melissa got home late X-mass eve, the house 2 doors up from his was on fire and sourounded by fire trucks.
While talking to his neighbor on the other side from the fire, the subject of the fire at Sues place came up. Surprisingly, the woman already knew all about it as she turns out to be the retired firemans girlfriend and he had called her a little while earlier...
Go figgure. Small world, eh?
Well, my X-mass was exciting, how about yours?
-Craig
