Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Please Keep My Neighbors in Your Thoughts and Prayers...

There will be no outfit of the day for me today. I will post the outfit I wore yesterday, but I had no energy this morning to put towards making an outfit. (The one I am wearing is fine, but I just didn't have the heart to photograph and make a polyvore for it.)

Last night, after getting home from yoga at 8:15 pm, I decided to start dinner for myself. I went into the sunroom to talk with Jim and Rex, and I saw a firetruck coming down the cul-de-sac. To me, this is not really anything special. We live two houses from a nursing home and they ALWAYS (unfortunately) get visits from our local firehouse. Assuming that the truck was there for them, I started to move back to the kitchen. That is when I saw it, the bright orange flames. Freaking out, I ran out of the house down in the direction of the fire. I wanted desperately to know the people in the house were okay (must be because I am a mom). I was the third on-looker. This house was located five houses from us.

The other two people outside assured me that the family had moved out and were remodeling the home. The firemen needed to be sure so they (VERY BRAVELY) jumped through the flames and started busting windows open. There were fireworks going off, flames jumping through the air, plumes of smoke, and here they were, risking their lives to make sure everyone was okay.

Once the firemen determined the fire was too out of control (happened really fast--like 2 minutes after I showed up on the scene), they moved to put out what had become a towering inferno. This fire had grown so large that the houses on either side were in danger of become casualties themselves. The trees were started to burn and the gas line had exploded (that was awful to see). We live on a VERY forested area (my backyard, as well as the burning house and others, back onto protected parkland), so this means with the right conditions a fire can spread rapidly.

By 11 pm the fire was out (mostly), but even this morning, the house's foundations and foliage were still smoldering.

The family was not in the house, but they obviously still own and love their property. Please, if you could, pray or keep in your thoughts this family who lost so much last night.

Here is what the Washington Post had to say about this fire:

Fierce brush fires raged across sections of Prince George's and Fairfax counties yesterday, threatening houses and prompting vigorous efforts to protect property.
A woman living near the Fairfax fire, which was in the Baileys Crossroads area, said the blaze there appeared to have engulfed a house in the ***** block of ***** Lane.
It's "such a huge fire," said the woman. She said the neighborhood, off Seminary Road, is known as Dowden Terrace and is heavily wooded.
By last night when the Fairfax fire was reported, the day's strong winds had apparently abated.
****************************************************

The rest of the article mentions (ANOTHER) fire from PG County:
But fire officials in Prince George's said the wind helped spread a brush fire in the 9200 block of Allentown Road.
About 3 p.m., the swiftly moving fire was heading toward back yards of homes on a cul-de-sac in the 3400 block of Wayneswood Road, said Mark Brady, a spokesman for the county's fire and emergency medical services department.
Brady said the fire consumed sheds, patio furniture and other yard items.
It was a few feet from homes when firefighters arrived and stopped the advance, he said.

12 comments:

Joyce said...

Wow, I'm so sorry for your neighbors. We had 2 fires around me yesterday sparked by the heat and the winds. I had the windows open and now the house smells like smoke. The weather has been so freaky lately. Will you keep us posted on your neighbors?

MMM said...

WOW! I am so glad that no one was in the house! Fires are so scary, even as an on-looker! I will keep them & you in my thoughts & prayers as I'm sure you are still a bit shuck-up too! Makes us all realize just how lucky we are! As much as I complain about my house I TRULY am thankful that I have one! Take care!

HeidiG said...

I am so sorry to hear about your neighbors' home. That must have been so scary for all of you there! I will keep all of you in my thoughts and prayers. How are you doing?

sparrowsandsparkles said...

oh no. So sad and scary. Glad everyone is OK but I know that is such a huge loss!

dinagideon said...

All of you--THANK YOU SO MUCH. By the grace of God, they will get through this. What a challenge, though. I am so sad for them, my heart actually hurts.

I slept very little last night. I kept waking up thinking I had imagined what I saw. Unfortunately, no!

Joyce--someone commented on the Channel 7 news site that they saw the fire from their 11th-floor apartment at Southern Towers. That is 1.25 miles from my house. Insanity. That is how big the fire was!

Patina said...

Oh, I am so sorry to hear that. My prayes are with them.Thank God there weren't any casualities. You can always replace things. Makes me think of the post left FFM yesterday.

Drewablank said...

I'm a little late in reading this but wanted to post a comment to say that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your neighbors. This is truly a scary experience and am very glad no one was hurt.

Beth said...

I am very sorry for your neighbors and I will say a prayer. I know that your family is also saddened by this event. I will be thinking of you all.

Jordyn said...

Dina- I'm so sorry about your neighbors. I'm glad you and your family are okay though. I'll keep your neighbors in my thoughts and prayers.

Slastena said...

OMG, how horrible!So glad no one was in the house! May everything work out for your neighbours, my thougts and prayers will be with them.

dinagideon said...

To all the others who commented after my comment: THANK YOU AGAIN. I will definitely let you know what happens for the family in the future. With so many people praying for them, I think they will be just fine...

Melissa@AllThingsSimplified said...

Dina, I know I'm really late to this post, but wanted you to know that I am also praying for your neighbors!