Tag Archives:Fire
It's Simple - Fire Belongs in the Fireplace
I just feel I have to post this, especially after the horrific fire in Stamford, CT, only minutes from our office, on Christmas day this past week.
This terrible tragedy, in which five family members perished, is now being blamed on embers from the fireplace. When I first heard this, I tried to imagine how embers in a fireplace could cause such an inferno to erupt. I could only think of two possibilities: either the firebox have failed in the fireplace itself, or someone had mishandled the embers. Sadly, my second guess seems to be the right one.
According to reports from fire investigators, preliminarily, ashes and embers were removed from the fireplace, placed in a bag, and set in or near a mud room in the house. It is heartbreaking. Anyone who is familiar with the workings of a fireplace knows that THAT is where the fire belongs. And embers are still fire, albeit hidden, smoldering within a charred piece of wood, just waiting for the opportunity to light up again.
Photos from Northern Suburb News
This story has saddened our entire community here in Pound Ridge, New York. Personally, I simply can’t believe this has happened again. I say that because my family has personal experience with just such a situation.
A number of years ago my father owned a ski condo in Windham, NY. It was in the middle of a row of units, a wood frame structure in the snowy woods that we loved to escape to when we could for relaxing weekends or holidays. As time went on, and we all became busy with our lives, he started to rent it out, now and then, to folks who enjoyed the skiing on the nearby mountain. One such family from Brooklyn rented it and ended up proving that they had little or no experience with a fireplace. Evidently, after having a lovely fire in the hearth one night, someone decided that they needed to shovel out the red hot embers from the fireplace. They were placed in a bag, then into a plastic garbage can outside, which was then set back into its normal place, right next to the outer wall of the building. Some time in the night the renters were running out for their lives as fire consumed the downstairs bathroom, the upstairs bathroom above it and out the roof. We lost a third of the unit. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. To this day I cannot fathom what would seem logical about the actions that lead up to this fire.
And if you think this is an isolated incident, it’s not. The next year my husband and I arrived late one night to stay in the now-repaired unit. We were tired, but did notice before we went to bed that the place seemed to be a mess, with dirt all over the counter. Blaming the last family members who had stayed, we resolved to sleep and clean in the morning. When we awoke the next day, we realized that the entire inside of the unit was covered with a film of soot. After what had happened the year before, I was frantic, but realized there was no sign of fire in our unit.
We cleaned up and, confused, exited to head out for the day, at which time my husband told me to come look at the unit on the end of the line of townhouses. It was almost completely gone, burned by fire. Astonishingly, we came to find out that the very same scenario had occurred, with renters removing embers and setting the place on fire. In this instance, though, a pregnant woman almost did not make it out. After that, all of the owners invested in metal garbage cans, and we posted a notice on the hearth with detailed instructions for all future renters.
Ok, I am a city girl at heart. I was born in NYC, but I’ve lived in a house with a fireplace since I was 9 years old. Still, I cannot understand why someone would work to remove hot, burning ash or pieces of wood from a place that is specifically built for it. It can be cleaned down the road, when all the contents are cooled and the heat completely dissipated. Nobody will fault you for having a dirty fireplace. Just leave it to burn down where it belongs and where it is safe.
My heart goes out to this couple for all they have lost. I’m not sure I could survive it myself and there are no words befitting the situation. If it is even possible, may they find peace one day.
Be safe.
Row, row, row your Boat Insurance
When you think about Boat Insurance, what’s the first type of loss that comes to mind?
Sinking, of course. And this happens, probably more often than people realize. I was once told by an Ocean Marine guy at one of my companies that one cargo ship goes down, on average, every day somewhere in the world. I also have a close friend whose 28 foot Thompson sank AT THE DOCK. And this occurred because of a faulty .75 cent hose clamp.
The sea is a wild and wooly place. In February of 2010, a friend from our local firehouse was on board the S.V. Concordia when a sudden vertical wind blast capsized this beautiful ship. Luckily all those on board survived, but not before having to spend 40 hours in life boats. Click the picture for the story. It’s quite the tale.
After the recent hurricane blew through our area, we happened to head down to Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, Connecticut in search of a car show. The show had been cancelled, but we did get some pictures of these boats, on land, that had suffered from some other perils that many boat owners might not take into consideration.
Pretty obvious. This is a total loss by fire here. Boat fires can happen on land or on the water. We can’t know where this one occurred.
I think the wind got hold of this sailboat, and not in the positive, life affirming way its owner was planning on.
We’ve insured some of our customers boats for many years, with no incident. However, some of the claims we have seen include a dinghy floating out to sea, a $150,000 boat washed away by a storm and found later on the shoreline of an island, and something as simple as a sea tow.
These crafts often are a big investment, financially. They can also be a very important part of a lifestyle and the source of much enjoyment for their owners. When things go awry, I want to be able to tell someone they are covered. Hey, that’s what I do. I insure boats. 🙂
