Earlier in the night on Monday night, I boiled eggs. I put the hot pot of eggs near the sink instead of in the sink because the crock was in there. I used a round potholder I made to shield the counter from the hot pot.
At 3 am, I brushed my teeth and was ready for bed, but the boiled eggs needed to go into the refrigerator. Done. Then, I decided to heat water on the stove. I put water in the pan, put pan on burner, and turned on the eye. I had to wipe up water where I spilled it on the counter, so I did. Seconds after I turned on the stove eye, I looked over and the whole pan was covered with flames.
Besides being utterly shocked, I was confused. This was a pot full of water! On fire!? I picked up the pot and was going to move it to the sink. As I did, the burner/eye was on fire and so was the bottom of the pot. Bits of fire were floating above my head and starting to float around the kitchen. That frightened me more than the flames from the pot bottom and the eye!
I finally figured the potholder had stuck to the bottom of the pot and was still there when I transferred it to the stove and turned on the stove. AND, flaming bits were flying around when I moved the pot.
It has been thirty minutes and my heart is still pounding in my ears. Although I am terrified of fire since I witnessed our house burn to the ground when I was four-years-old, I am calculating when dealing with fire. Even though my instinct is to panic, I do keep calm and do the right thing so as not to spread fire.
One thing--a piece of potholder fell to the hot eye, still with burning potholder on the eye. I took a pointy knife at hand and shoved the fabric off the eye/burner, still holding the flaming pot. Then, I speared the remnant and put it in the pot of water. I was well aware I had on a sweat shirt on and did not catch it on fire!
Now, I keep guard, making sure the little embers do not burn the house down. The embers probably went out. I cannot see them. No fire, nothing smoldering. This potholder is obviously not the smoldering type as it flamed up immediately.
About 30 years ago, I did the same thing, so I do not have much of a history with starting fires in the kitchen!
It was about 5:30 the last time I looked at the clock, and I got up at 9 am. So, I am beat.
And, this is just another reason not to leave things on in the kitchen!
Have you had an accident in the kitchen? How much damage?
Oh, that sounds so scary. Lucky you kept your wits about you and handled it well. I try very hard to check doors and the kitchen before going to bed at night. What worries me is candles. I won't leave the room with one burning, but I worry about not remembering I have one going. My solution is I buy and only use the fake candles with a small battery. Not fool proof, but close to it. I haven't had a kitchen fire, knock on wood, but I will remember what happened to you so it won't happen to me. Thank you for the story.
ReplyDeletetana50,
DeleteI, too, have a no-candle rule. However, I keep tealights that can only be used in kitchen sink, bathtub, and bathroom sink. That is enough light not to run into doors or furniture.
My friend had a party and had candles on a table with food. It sat against a table. As she was outside saying "goodnight" to guests, the candles fell against the wall and almost burned down the house. No candles at all on tables is my rule. My daughter does not use candles, either. Be careful.
Scary! Glad you caught it quick. I've had two close brushes with fire. One when I was about 4 years old. Our gas furnace, in the hall next to my bedroom caught on fire. My dad put it out quick. Then when I was about 13 our neighbors house caught on fire and burned to the ground. It was scary for awhile wondering if our house was going to start on fire. My dad was as close as he could get with the hose watering down our house, until the firetruck arrived.
ReplyDeleteOne,
DeleteWe never forget those fires, do we? I am glad he saved you when you were four! My friend bought a house and closed on it. That night, the neighbor's house caught fire and scorched the outside of his new house, causing him to have to replace the shingles on the roof and the siding on one side. He was out there with a hose, too. Thanks for the story.
Oh that was definitely a scary incident. I only had one such incident from grease, and I truly panicked. Threw everything on top of it. Luckily, it did go out but not before scaring the heck out of me.
ReplyDeletemxtodis123,
DeleteGrease fires are really scary! Having a pot of water on fire was puzzling to me. I am glad you got yours out.
I am SO glad you are ok. That is indeed scary. You seem like you maintained calm and stayed cool and collected. You can panic after but you did what you needed to do during the moment. Hugs to you!
ReplyDelete1st Man,
DeleteThanks! Me too. Mama said that even as a small child, I managed crises and then got sick afterwards, just like daddy. I have seen her stand in shock and do nothing until I urged her to do something. Hugs to you two.
I am glad you are unharmed. I am very scared of kitchen fires.
ReplyDeleteT'Pol, Thank you. Me too. I try to be careful because of my fear.
DeleteI think fire is the scariest thing ever and I am glad you figured things out and were able to stay calm. I had a grease fire years ago trying to fry up tortilla wedges. My father in law died when his mobile home burnt to the ground with him in it. Horrible. No burning candles here, either....ever!
ReplyDeleteTewshooz,
DeleteSame here, a terror for me. My best friend was killed by his hoarding and the fire it caused. You can search my blog for "hoarding killed my best friend." It must have been sad for him to die in his home.