We have seen many great stories about building fires on this forum, usually told more from the perspective of the firefighters. So I thought I would attempt to do a story about a house fire, more from the perspective of the family whose house is destroyed. Hope you enjoy it!It’s 3am, and the Leonard family is sleeping soundly. Amy Leonard’s parents have come for a visit, and it’s been a long day, including a trip to the zoo, a picnic, and home-made fried chicken, courtesy of Amy’s mother, Mary.
Now everyone has collapsed into a sound sleep – everyone except Buddy, the family dog. He has sniffed out the left-over oil from the fried chicken that was left on the stove to cool.
As he attempts to reach it, he inadvertently turns the dial, turning the burner on to high heat.
As the oil begins to get hot, he decides to just go eat his kibble….
completely unaware of the disaster that is about to unfold.
When Buddy sees the growing flames, he immediately starts to bark a warning.
Upon waking, John smells the smoke and leaps to his feet.
“Honey, wake up! The house is on fire!!!
Grab the baby, I’m going upstairs for the kids!”
Amy rushes to save ten-month-old Sophie from the small nursery next to their room.
Running out of the bedroom, John finds the stairwell filled with thick smoke. He quickly heads up the stairs to where his daughter and son are sleeping.
Adrenaline pumping, Amy holds her breath as she makes her way through the smoke in the stairwell and towards the front door.
Outside, she is startled to see the Johnsons from down the street running towards them, and relieved to hear the wail of sirens in the distance, coming closer.
Mr. Johnson tells her he smelled the smoke as he opened the door to let the cat in, and after seeing it was coming from their house, called 911. As smoke begins to pour out of the windows, they tell her she must not go back into the house.
Meanwhile, John, who has a lung condition, has passed out on the stairs from smoke inhalation.
Buddy attempts to wake him, and when he finds he cannot, he stays nearby whining loudly.
The whining awakens five-year-old Addison, who panics as she smells the smoke.
Not sure what to do, she runs to grab Squeaky out of his cage.
Terrified and clutching Squeaky, she decides to take refuge from the building heat in her wardrobe.
As the sirens are heard approaching the house, Tommy is still sound asleep, as are Mary's parents on the fourth floor.
To be continued...
