The Fire

I don't if any of you have been through a fire (and technically, I haven't either), but it felt a little surreal watching large men and women in big heavy uniforms and masks and oxygen tanks wandering in and around my house. When they're in those uniforms, they seem like more than people...more like a machine...going through the motions to get the fire out and make sure nothing starts up again. Afterward, they're just your neighbor again...telling you stories of their adventures and how they owned German Shepherds too. One lieutenant told me how he watched the squad's eyes all get huge when they went in the back gate to be confronted by The Magnificence That Is The Blitz and how afterward they were all playing with him.

The pictures don't really do it justice (click on the picture for more). When they took me on a tour of the house right after it was out, everything was melted in the closet, the carpet was a big pile of goop and it just seemed like of river of melted stuff had come down the walls. Everything was black and the whole house...every inch...smells like nasty, acrid, toxic smoke. They did a great job of clearing everything out and now its just a big pile of stuff on the lawn. I went to bed last night thinking that I could still smell it and that it was clogging up my nose. There was nothing ther of course, but it was still clear in my mind.

This morning, the clean-up crew was there bright and early at 0730. I dropped Blitz off at the doggy day care so he didn't have to stay at the hotel while I went to work. I also went to daycare yesterday after I started the insurance process and just hugged my baby forever. I know that no matter what, this could have been a lot worse than it was!

Thanks to the Cobb County Fire Department for their help and for their great attitudes!