Wow.

That also makes me decide on NOT getting another gas dryer when we move into the new place!

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this seems like something flammable got wedged behind the dryer and lit off...

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and that could happen with an elect one too. Same with lint build up catching on fire. and the following falls into the do what I say.. not what I do department:

don't leave the house with the dryer on

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And have fire extinguishers around. Good sized ones.

CZ

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This sounds like it COULD have been extinguished if M were wielding a fire extinguisher instead of a broom...of course, she left a "little smoldering piece of plastic" and came back to "a plume of smoke..."

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Possibly. Or just firing an extinguisher in the general direction might have slowed it down till the fire droids arrived.

I like having a few fire extinguishers around. Dylan knows how to use one (he used it on the dining room once) and they can come in very handy. Of course if it's a serious fire you just empty it and run or simply run.

As I noticed last weekend, once a fire gets going the house is basically toast.

CZ

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She has a good point that it was a flame next to a gas line...

Yeah, you might put it out...

Or you might be starting to spray your little extinguisher when the gas line gives up the ghost....

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don't need to. I KNOW mine doesn't work. Killed it after a shower by wacking it with something. Guess I should actually get around to buying another one. One I can turn off when I shower. (they aren't cheap)

Noone has slept over at my house since I killed the dang thing, so at least the only one I'm putting at risk is myself. uh.. and Chessie. hmmmm

oh - that description of Backdraft isn't exactly correct. It's not just filling with smoke - it's filling with HOT smoke.

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it sounds like they've had enough houses go boom that they don't stick around to figure out whether or not it's hot somke...

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well, yeah. Don't blame them. I saw this fire show a few years ago -- a lot was about backdraft -- stuff is mostly invisible, which is why it's very dangerous.

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Yikes! Thanks...I will do that. And I'll stop leaving the house with the dryer on, too.

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* yikes *

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It never even occurred to me to get a fire extinguisher. Our dryer is not unknown to cause the smoke detectors to go off from time to time, so I really didn't think there was anything to worry about.

Then I saw what looked like an open flame next to a gas line, and I had the Amityville Horror voice in my head that said "GET OUT."

And that was that.

You can't ignore the voice.

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No kidding....

open flame...

gas line...

GET OUT!!!! * eep *

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That's why I'm installing fancy smoke detectors that run on AC power when it's available and batteries otherwise. Batteries last much longer that way. And we have several CO₂ fire extinguishers scattered about, as well as more conventional ones.

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...they're not just conversation pieces... :)

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