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May 07, 2008
Lesson for today: get tenant insurance
Derrick and I are listening to the occasional plunk of parts of the ceiling drop onto the floor in our wrecked bedroom. It's like rainfall, but with more masonry.
We're on the couch in the living room tonight, after staying at our friend J & P's house last night. The bedroom is a bit of a disaster, with about half the ceiling collapsed, mattress and clothes marinating in smoke-filled water, and the walls blistered and peeling.
Not exactly what I wanted to face after my first attempt at Bikram yoga in Harlem, but I guess that having such a relaxing and exhausting workout before the smoky panic of a fire probably balanced. I did the yoga for NINETY minutes, then had a wild craving for Taco Bell to offset all of the healthiness and goodness. I got home, dropped onto the couch, and realized Derrick was at a play.
While I sat on the couch, apparently some bubble headed child upstairs decided to play with candles at his family's shrine. No, I have no idea why the family had some shrine in their apartment, but maybe it was some form of prayer to NOT HAVE A PYRO for a child. Maybe they should have had more candles. One bad idea leads to another, and pretty quickly the entire 6th floor was burning. I'm on the 5th floor, and I hear the fire alarm on the floor BELOW me going off. I hear some screaming, open the door, and smoke flooded into the apartment. I yelled for the neighbors, ran back into the apartment, grabbed Bear's leash (and my new iPod!), and raced down the stairs. I contacted Derrick, then waited with the rest of my neighbors, hoping that everyone made it out, hoping our place wasn't going up in flames.
When we finally were allowed back into the building around 10:30, water was pouring down the stairs, people were crying, and the air grew more acrid the higher we trudged. Derrick showed up around 10:45 and helped me sift through what a few hours before had been an exceptionally clean apartment. Now everything in the bedroom, bathroom, and part of the living room was dripping with fouled water and smoke. We tried to move as much as possible that could be saved away from the damage, and went to our friends' house for sleep, as the fire alarms were still beeping, and the water was still dripping.
Not necessarily a good thing, but we are still so lucky. Things could be so much worse. The fire could have happened during the winter, it could have happened much later at night when everyone was asleep, and we could have been uninsured. None of our neighbors up on the 6th floor were insured, and they lost everything.
Today I called my insurance and they had their evaluator to my apartment by noon. Tomorrow a special company is picking up all of our clothing and linens to try to clean them, and another agency will be sending people to wipe down our walls and clean everything. Our landlords will probably take a lot longer, but we're alive and have a home. I spent the rest of the day cleaning the rest of the piles, but again, I am so lucky. Derrick is okay, Bear is okay, and I'm okay. Thanks for all the phone calls and well wishes.
Posted by G at May 7, 2008 09:08 PM
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Comments
Hey Glenn - I met you in October when my friend Jeremy was here and I've been subscribed to your blog ever since. I'm SO sorry to hear about your apartment. I had a similar but much more sedate experience at my last apartment. Thank god everyone is okay and you have a home to get back to (dirty and smelly as it may be). If you need ANYTHING please know this stranger is happy to help!
Posted by: Tennille at May 7, 2008 11:15 PM
Ick, again! Although yer right - things could've been much worse, it's still a ROYAL pain in the ass to lose so much and to have your lives disrupted in a major way. If there's anything I could do from way out here, lemme know, 'kay?
Posted by: Lee at May 8, 2008 05:41 AM
Good to read you're OK. And that you have renter's/tenant insurance. A friend of mine had the same thing happened, and that insurance is a lifesaver. And it's usually rather affordable too.
Posted by: jimbo at May 8, 2008 12:41 PM
"And then I went back for another yoga class."
It sounds like you'll need it. Glad the family is in one non-scorched piece.
Posted by: Jeffrey at May 8, 2008 02:02 PM
Definitely glad you're okay and that the damage is reparable and manageable.
Posted by: Brian and Alan at May 8, 2008 02:44 PM
How scary! And how awful to look at your stuff like that.
Keep us posted.
Posted by: Scott at May 8, 2008 04:30 PM
Ouch! I have been flooded out of an apartment, but never a fire. I'm really sorry that this happened to you guys, but I am very happy that you, Derrick and Bear are all okay.
I really need to get renters insurance.
Posted by: Tony at May 8, 2008 05:00 PM
What a fucking mess. It's also a good thing this didn't happen when you guys were sleeping later that night.
Posted by: palochi at May 8, 2008 05:39 PM
wow. glad to hear you read you are ok!
and renter's insurance...yup. great to have. my house was robbed not too long ago and the insurance was awesome.
Posted by: chuck at May 8, 2008 05:56 PM
Wow - you're very lucky. Glad you're okay, but still sorry this happened to you.
Posted by: Matt at May 8, 2008 08:57 PM
I'm so glad you all are ok and that you had insurance. HUGZ
Posted by: Mike at May 8, 2008 09:34 PM
Dang! Thank Zod (or whomever you thank) that your are all ok and insured, but what a scary and horrible thing to experience.
One of my paranoid fantasies has me wrapping little J to my back and then trying to get out of the window and climb down the fire escape that way. Reading your post just reminds me how these things can happen any time, for any reason . . .
Stay safe, and hope you are able to get a more habitable habitation soon, one way or another.
Posted by: Cohort 6 Fellow at May 8, 2008 10:27 PM
Ohmigosh, I'm glad that you and Bear escaped safely. I feel bad for you guys.
Posted by: homer at May 8, 2008 11:14 PM
Seriously, my friend, your viewpoint on the matter is spot on.
One, you have GOT to be loving the decision you and D made to get renters insurance. I mean seriously. In a twisted way, that's like winning the lottery.
And two, you, D, Bear, and the iPod made it out with not a scratch. AND you get to upgrade all of your electronics.
Yes, yes. It's inconvenient. Incredibly so, I'm sure. But just think of the SHOPPING! :-)
I'm happy you and yours are ok, my friend. As I said on the phone, let me know if Rex and I can do anything to help out.
Posted by: Stephen J. Xanthos at May 9, 2008 10:31 AM
Oh my gosh! So glad you are ok. What a nightmare. Let us know if you need anything.
Posted by: Erin Leamon at May 9, 2008 11:15 PM
OH MY DOG! I'm just catching up on my blog reading and learned of your disaster. How terrible! I'm glad everyone is okay, but this must be so difficult.
Does your insurance cover the cost of a hitman to have the pyro-kid killed?
If, in the course of things, you can use another place to crash for a bit, you guys would be welcome at our place.
Really, the main thing is that you're safe. *hug*
Posted by: Jess at May 10, 2008 03:03 PM
I'm glad you all are okay. And thank heavens for the renter's insurance. I hope things will be back to normal soon enough. Hang tough big guy!
Posted by: Robert at May 10, 2008 06:06 PM
Glad you are okay, and insured!
Hope you're in town next weekend for the Blogger get-together.
Posted by: Mike at May 10, 2008 07:02 PM
I read this from my phone earlier (we were out much of the day) and tried to leave a comment, but it didn't go through. Anyhow...
OH MY DOG! I'm trying to catch up on blog reading and only just found out about your disaster. I'm glad you, Derrick and Bear are okay. That is what matters. Even so, what a mess!
Does your insurance cover a hitman for having the kid upstairs killed?
BTW, if, in the course of all of this, the three of you need a place to crash for a bit, say the word. I'm sure Bear would get along well with our pups, and I know we get along with you guys! :) Really, if you need space, we have it.
With that said, I hope the cleanup goes quickly, and I really am glad you guys are okay!
Posted by: Jess at May 10, 2008 09:59 PM
Oh, crap. The comment from the phone did go through! (Didn't look like it when I tried it.) Oh well, I suppose two comments is better than none... but feel free to delete one of them.
Posted by: Jess at May 11, 2008 01:25 PM
Holy crap! I'm glad you, Derrick and Bear are okay. Perhaps your insurance could make that kid go from apartment to apartment with a toothbrush to scrub the walls, then wash everyone's clothes. The kid needs some kind of punishment for this.
Posted by: Greg at May 13, 2008 11:04 AM