Just in case any of you hadn’t heard, the house in DC was involved in a fire around 1:30am last night when the house next door (the “drug dealers’ place”) apparently suffered an explosion (gas? arson? meth lab?) that resulted in a fire that pretty much destroyed that house. Our house and the house on the other side also caught fire.
WEF5 is fine, and got out with not much more than his cell phone. He was taken in by David across the street, and has since been able to get back into the house to get some clothes, his wallet, and other necessary stuff. Aunts Terry and Mary Jane are coming in tomorrow and we’ve arranged for WEF5 to stay at the same hotel with them for a few days.
Here’s a couple of pictures of the house taken by David after the fire was pretty much out and the smoke had cleared. Apparently the house where it started is toast inside. It’s difficult to say what the damage is to out house, but WEF5 says it looks like the attic at least is pretty much gone (this is unconfirmed), and the second floor may have been affected as well. You can see the windows are gone there where they hosed things down.
Certainly, there is at least extensive water damage throughout, with about three inches of standing water in the basement. No telling how that affected the plaster and hardwood floors on the other levels.
I know for the next several days, we’ll all remember stuff that was in the attic and is most likely gone, including boxes of WEFers who had left stuff in the attic, as well as WEF4’s bedroom furniture and associated stuff. For me, the worst is virtually all of my books- You remember that I had put them all in bookcases up there. Of course, it’s important to remember how lucky we are that no one was hurt. Property can usually be replaced, and even if it can’t, it’s only property.
Fortunately WEF2 decided last year to pay for pretty much the most complete coverage available, so that’s a good thing.
We’ll probably be getting set up in an apartment or other lodging by the insurance company when we get back to DC after Christmas. WEF2 will likely be returning with us for a week or so to make sure the insurance company is properly energized. Of course as you can imagine everything is up in the air except for our vacation, which will go on as scheduled (WEF2 and I are leaving Baghdad on Thursday, me for the last time).
Somehow the fire found it’s way on to UTube- the video was apparently taken from the other side of 14th street: