House fire scare

10 years ago

Still unexplained. A few days ago, with a house full of family at our vacation home, aprox 1880 saltbox on the Newfoundland coast, our foundation caught fire. Still a bit shaken by the experience since it does not make sense...a perfect storm?. My Dad called it a BlackSwan. An unexplained occurrence. The wood cook stove was cold...had it hot the night before as it is our heat and cooking. The next afternoon we did smell something odd but thought it was back-flow like a fireplace often does in wind. It increased and Dad alarmed us. (most of us were outside painting the shed) having a blast of fun. Scary. Nothing scarier than fire.

Just be aware of old appliances picked up at yard sales. May not know about re-calls, etc.
We had the electric updated a couple years ago...the whole home. Some smoke detectors are wired in. Others are checked when we arrive with new batteries. One in every room.
I think Annie mentioned a dehydrator catching fire.

I've never been comfortable with crock-pots on all day when not at home. I like appliances watched and at home. Or in a garage out of the home.
We had fog, rain, and a calm glass bay this morning, then sun and clear skies within an hour. Very gusty winds. We don't smoke or grill here anymore outdoors. Hard to contain.

Our basement has an old goat home. (not sure what to call it). Dutch doors on an adorable room from years past. It was smoking and on fire. The wind had given the smoldering fire a path.
We had buckets of water from a 55 gallon rain barrel. A hose connected to the hand dug well, I took a hammer to the wall and ripped out drywall and took all the plug sockets off. If we were not home it may have taken our home.
It was contained very quickly though mysterious. Unexplained.
I ripped of two layer of siding like a child that has the strength to lift a car in a panic and found the source. Scary stuff. A BlackSwan.

Be safe. Use your appliances, especially old ones, with more than adequate precautions.

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Comments (11)

sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
Original Author
10 years ago
I so adore this home. Cannot believe i almost lost it.
triciae
10 years ago
Wow, so glad to hear everybody and your house are okay. I sure understand how frightening fires are - we've experienced two - both in Colorado. First was faulty construction on a new house. No fire stops in the basement fireplace. Our son got off the school bus and saw smoke coming out our roof. Ran home yelling for me, "Fire!" Some damage but could have been awful. Second time, we were hit by lightning. Extensive electrical damage but again we were lucky. Then there was another time in California when we were evacuated twice in two days due to wildfire (Corona fire). The Hot Shots were in Santa Barbara fighting another fire and crews were short. The prisoners were released from Norco prison to fight our fire. Very scary. You have my sympathy. As previous owners of 2 historic houses (1887 & 1848, both in NH) - your home is AWESOME!

/tricia
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sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
Original Author
10 years ago
We have had a few people by today. Retired NCRP, local friends that cannot figure out what happened.
A huge concern that if it caught in such strong wind may have cause damage to other homes in the village.
A mystery to all...
bellsmom
10 years ago
Sleevendog
A few years ago DH and I circumnavigated Newfoundland. I utterly loved it. Wish I could return for a longer, more leisurely trip. I loved the people, the music, the food, the scenery. We wandered up the west coast, stayed a few days at the far northernmost tip with a lovely couple, and then down the east, staying at utterly lovely B & Bs along the way. I will always regret not crossing the inlet to Labrador. I HATE leaving roads not traveled to their extremist points.

My car CD player has a folk song CD we bought from one of the B & Bs, recorded by the proprietor's son and his group. I listen to it periodically and dream. . . .

I cannot imagine owning a place in that world and almost losing it. So happy for you that you did not.

Sandra
colleenoz
10 years ago
So, what actually caused the fire to start? Do you know it was caused by a faulty appliance? Glad you were there to put it out, it would have been a crying shame to have lost such a lovely house.
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
10 years ago
Many things can catch fire spontaneously. Such as a compost pile.

You mentioned that you were painting, you better Google Linseed oil fire danger.

Nowadays, a damaged lithium battery can self-ignite.

dcarch
foodonastump
10 years ago
Thank goodness you and the house are safe! I hope you figure out the culprit, for peace of mind.
Islay_Corbel
10 years ago
I feel lucky that it is something I have never had to experience to date. Very scary.
sally2_gw
10 years ago
Wow, I'm glad you are all safe, and your house is salvageable. What a nightmare.

Sally
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
Original Author
10 years ago
It is calm here today. No wind to speak of and a bit damp from a misty rain this morning.
It was very windy and dry that day. Three days of high wind. It started on the outside just under the lower siding under a set of doors we put in. So, fresh siding and paint, latex exterior...a few years ago. It is a newer extension put on in the 60's. A material, (probably celetex) was used as a house wrap, aprox 1/4 inch thick. A fiber product that involved some tar of some type. No brand name i can see or find, just some line markings to aid in application...a spark or something must have found the edge, 'the perfect storm'...the neighbor was mowing just a few feet from that area. (?)
Still no answers but asking everyone.

Sandra-it is lovely here as you know. Nice that you experienced it.

dcarch- I'm an artist and know about combustibles. Though many are odd and unexplainable. We were painting the shed far out back. Latex tinted primer. No electric near the area where it burned.

Just the fiber board was smoldering, we guess for a few hours as we smelled it. It caught the back of the siding and was starting to burn...and still a mystery.
And just about 1 square food of actual burn char.

Back to cooking. I made a lovely fish stew. : )
mustangs81
10 years ago
I guess the good news is it's not a total loss and all are safe, thank goodness.

For years we looked for a cabin in the mountains, but what made me nervous was what could happen when no one was there. Silly, I know, as it could happen to my house when I was at the grocery store.

House fire scare

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sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
Original Author

triciae

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House fire scare

Comments (11)

sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)Original Author

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