well its been quite a while since i posted a blog because i've been so busy and everything and nothing has really been going on but now i have something to talk about...
on June 13th, my apt burned. well technically the roof and attic burned. we (brad and i) were woken up at about 130 in the morning by a cop busting in our front door. there was no time to react and even though you think sometimes... "well if this ever happens i'll grab...." you don't. i left in a pair of jeans and a work shirt that happened to be laying next to my bed on the floor. i didn't even have time to grab my kitties. we couldn't even see in the apt the smoke was so thick. it was pouring out of our attic crawlspace door. i barely had my shirt buttoned as we ran down the stairs. the flames were unbelievable. by the time we ran out the end apartments that were two doors over were already completely engulfed. i have never been so afraid in my life. all i could think about were rosie and zelda. i hadn't even grabbed my cell phone and luckily there was a guy standing next to us that let me call my dad. as they kept moving us away from the building all i could do was cry. you see your whole life going up in flames before you and as much as you want to, you can't stay calm. we told firefighters about my kitties, they were already on the roof pouring water down into my apartment, the bedroom to be more exact, and we figured the kitties were gone since they would always run and hide in my walk in closet. from where we stood thats what looked like was burning. as much as i wanted to look away i couldnt. we ended up walking up to the clubhouse because i just couldn't stand there anymore. after a while a fireman came in and spoke to us, telling us that the fire was out and to listen for our apt numbers to hear what the damage was. mine had fire and water damage. i was the farthest one over that was actually damaged by fire. it was just through the attic and the roof. most of the damage was from the firefighters trying to stop the fire from spreading. i asked if they had found any pets. the firefighter didn't know but he said he would send in two firefighters to look for rosie and zelda. he came back about a half hour later and said they weren't found in the apt so we hoped they had ran out. we were allowed to go in and get necessary things to make it through the rest of the day. my apt was soaking wet. there was barely any roof left. there were holes in the wall, it was so surreal. brad went in first and he said the closet actually looked untouched but we weren't given time to search for the kitties. they didn't know how safe the building was. we grabbed what we could and left to go somewhere. we ended up going out to my work, since it was the only place open and that i knew they'd let me in without shoes. we bought flip flops and went back to the apts about 11am. they let brad go in with a firefighter who was still on scene and they found rosie and zelda in the closet. they were fine. they had stayed in there the whole time, hunkered down in a box of my winter clothes all the way at the bottom. i finally cried. i couldn't stop crying once brad handed me rosie. we ended up staying at his sister's for a few days and finally my apts told us they had a unit i could move into. we moved in last tuesday. i lost almost all of my clothing, my bed, my dresser, my bookcases, most of my books, some of my jewelry, some kitchen stuff, sofas, chair, computer, and other random things. there was insulation, drywall, and water damage on pretty much everything else. on june 18th they told us the building would be condemed and we had to have everything out we wanted to save by 330pm on the 20th.
thanks to my amazing boss and the amazing people i work with, we were able to dig out and salvage anything we could. some stuff is still spread out on my balcony drying. i found out vinegar will get out the smoke smell. my dad was great and bought me a new bed and mattress. the people at my work have been so great. i feel so blessed to have had them in my life at this time. i wouldn't have made it through without their support. brad has been amazing too. he made sure he was first in the apt just in case rosie and zelda didn't make it. he didn't want me to find them. thank god they did make it. i would have been devasted to lose my girls. they have been so spoiled since then.
the best advice i can give out to people is this... RENTER'S INSURANCE! if i had this, i'd be in a much better position. leave your purse and keys by the door ready to go. when we ran out i had nothing. no car keys, no id, nothing. be prepared. also, a firesafe box is a great investment. think of all the papers you'd need if you had to start from scratch. test your smoke alarm. mine didn't go off and if the cop hadn't come all the way into the apt we probably would have never woken up. most apts have it in the lease that its your responsibilty to keep your smoke alarm in working order.
i was very lucky this time, i have whats most important, my life, my girls, and brad. i never thought this would happen to me. i feel so blessed to have made it through this ordeal with amazing people by my side. everyday i look at my old building as i walk out from my new apt and i thank god i'm alive. all the little things don't bug me anymore. i've been given a whole new outlook.
here were some of the news stories about it.
www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/121341032546130.xml&coll=7
www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_061308_news_beaverton_apartment_fire.2a44a7a5.html
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/06/cause_of_beaverton_apartment_f.html