# Ask the girl whose house burnt down **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 13, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330 "2006-02-13T20:11:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/1 "2006-02-13T20:11:00Z")
First of all, you will stand outside like an idiot and say thing like “It was so sudden”. And “I never thought this would happen to me”. And very little more intelligent than that. Secondly flames shooting out of your window look really cool even if you know it’s you’r window and all your stuff. Thirdly, whatever you think in advance, the thing to grab while running out the door is whatever you’d be most embarrassed by. Privacy is a thing of the past when your house burns down. Fourthly, the firemen will leave You bagels. Ok, I’m not saying the WILL leave you bagels. So don’t go setting your house on fire would probably be a bad plan for getting free bagels. But they might leave bagels because they will stand around for hours drinking coffee and eating bagels the five minutes of labor they atually put in. But it’s hard to begrudge them after your house is not on fire anymore. Any other questions? ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/2 "2006-02-13T20:18:55Z")
You okay? ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/3 "2006-02-13T20:22:37Z")
I think CandidGamera started off with the right one, but perhaps the next step is “What happened?” ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/4 "2006-02-13T20:24:03Z")
Yikes! Any idea what the cause was? Is the house salvageable, or is it completely gutted? Ok, and since you brought it up, what _did_ you grab on the way out? ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/5 "2006-02-13T20:28:05Z")
My sympathies. I hope your recovery from this will be as gentle, and as bump free as possible. I’m praying for you and your family, and hoping that you can stay strong and make it through this situation intact. You’ve got help for filing the insurance claims etc. I hope? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/6 "2006-02-13T20:32:18Z")
How did it happen? ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/7 "2006-02-13T20:34:27Z")
What kind of bagels? What? ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/8 "2006-02-13T20:42:17Z")
And were they toasted? ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/9 "2006-02-13T20:43:03Z")
I’m so sorry! Have you been able to recover anything? ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/10 "2006-02-13T20:44:01Z")
This unfortunately happened to a co-worker a few months ago too. She was telling me about how everyone should go through their house with a camcorder and tape all their belongings to get a good record of your stuff, and (obviously) keep it in another location. She found this out after having her insurance company question anything of value she claimed. She told the story of an agent sifting through the ash trying to find evidence of her grandmother’s Precious Moments collection :rolleyes: I understand some people must claim things they didn’t really have, but the hassle she had to go through was incredible, trying to find family or friends who could verify she really owned that stereo, etc. Also nice to just have evidence to help you remember all your stuff, as she said months later you will be looking for that potato ricer or whatever and forget you had it ‘before the fire.’ Is this the case in your situation too or does she have a crappy insurance co.? Also, were the firefighters kind to you or jaded from having seen it too many times? Co-worker also told me one of the firemen on the scene, thinking she was just a gawker I guess, asked her ‘got any marshmallows?’ She just looked at him and said ‘that’s my house.’ Sorry to hear this happened to you. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/11 "2006-02-13T20:44:03Z")
> [@ronincyberpunk](#): > > I think CandidGamera started off with the right one, but perhaps the next step is “What happened?” No, “is _everyone_ OK?” comes before that. And “do you have a place to stay?” and " is there anything we can do?". And I thought _I_ was having a bad day because my car was broken into… My symphaties. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/12 "2006-02-13T20:47:28Z")
> [@Sal Ammoniac](#): > > And were they toasted? Alright you, no fair making someone laugh when reading a thread with this title. Really, anyone that thought that was funny must be a sick bastard. Sincerely, **Sick Bastard.** ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/13 "2006-02-13T20:51:11Z")
_Do you_ have a place to stay? ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/14 "2006-02-13T20:57:48Z")
> [@betenoir](#): > > First of all, you will stand outside like an idiot and say thing like “It was so sudden”. And “I never thought this would happen to me”. And very little more intelligent than that. > > Secondly flames shooting out of your window look really cool even if you know it’s you’r window and all your stuff. > > Thirdly, whatever you think in advance, the thing to grab while running out the door is whatever you’d be most embarrassed by. Privacy is a thing of the past when your house burns down. > > Fourthly, the firemen will leave You bagels. Ok, I’m not saying the WILL leave you bagels. So don’t go setting your house on fire would probably be a bad plan for getting free bagels. But they might leave bagels because they will stand around for hours drinking coffee and eating bagels the five minutes of labor they atually put in. But it’s hard to begrudge them after your house is not on fire anymore. > > Any other questions? As another girl whose house (well, apartment) burned down many years ago, I gotta disagree with everything but the first statement. I wasn’t there, but I doubt I would have thought the flames looked cool. The firemen left me nothing but piles of soaked crap that used to be everything I owned in the world. And had I been there, the one thing I would have grabbed would have been my kitty. I hope you and everyone/thing you love is okay. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/15 "2006-02-13T21:41:24Z")
> [@NailBunny](#): > > And had I been there, the one thing I would have grabbed would have been my kitty. Oh, no! Did your poor kitty die? That’s so awful. My heart goes out to you. That’s my greatest fear when it comes to a housefire, that one of my dogs may be hurt or killed. I don’t care about any of my material crap-- I don’t have a single item which I would really regret losing, but before God, I would charge into hell itself to try to save my dogs. > [@Velma](#): > > ``` > This unfortunately happened to a co-worker a few months ago too. She was telling me about how everyone should go through their house with a camcorder and tape all their belongings to get a good record of your stuff, and (obviously) keep it in another location. > > ``` I keep swearing to myself that I’ll do this, but I’ve kept putting it off. Thanks for the reminder. I’m going to go around with my digital camera right now. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/16 "2006-02-13T23:15:37Z")
Thanks everybody (well most of you :D). Sorry not to be more sytymatic but MY HOUSE BURNED DOWN!!! Anyway we’re all alright…except… > [@](#): > > And had I been there, the one thing I would have grabbed would have been my kitty Me to. I didn’t. It went from “I smell smoke” to “The house is full of smoke,i can’t breath”, to flames…in seconds. And the fireman wouldn’t let me back in. All of them made it but one. If I knew how bad it was going to be…god i feel guilty. What happened? “something elecrical” that’s the official vertic so far. I have no idea what. There was nothing on back there (in the room i started in)…which brings us to the next question…no most of the house is still there but they’re not going to let us back in or let us near our stuff for a quite a while. We’ve had too many places to stay. Moving every couple days. But I have to think I’ve a lot luckier than a lot of displaced people (this year certainly). And Nailbunny, didn’t you need a little black humor when it happened to you? And if I’m on a ledge hanging by my nails with a poisionous snake at the top and a ravging tiger a the bottom I can still thing “What lovely stripes” :). Thanks for asking, Daithi Lacha …no they jut left the lousy plain ones those bastards :D) ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/17 "2006-02-13T23:24:26Z")
> [@Mr Bus Guy](#): > > Really, anyone that thought that was funny must be a sick bastard. > > Sincerely, > > **Sick Bastard.** Right there with you Bus Guy ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/18 "2006-02-14T00:50:22Z")
> [@Velma](#): > > …everyone should go through their house with a camcorder and tape all their belongings to get a good record of your stuff, and (obviously) keep it in another location. She found this out after having her insurance company question anything of value she claimed…does she have a crappy insurance co.? Insurance guy has no way of knowing what he needs to replace of yours any more than you know what’s in a random private residence accross town. Plenty of people “pad” their claim forms with a wish list, that’s why insurance companies will sometimes ask for some kind of verification of ownership from time to time. If everyone could be trusted all the time our language wouldn’t have words like, “Truth,” “Honest” and “Honor.” And the video is an excellent idea for two reasons. Helps you support your assertion of what you own, and it helps you remember what you had. Because when your mind is fixed on the smoking pile of debris that was your home, and nearly your pyre, the one thing you’re probably least pre[pared to do is start writing a list of EVERYTHING you owned, how old it is, what it cost, and what NEW items compare to it in features. Much easier to watch the video…and mourn at the same time. Good luck to you, **betenoir**. ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/19 "2006-02-14T00:52:47Z")
> [@betenoir](#): > > Thanks everybody (well most of you :D). > > Sorry not to be more sytymatic but MY HOUSE BURNED DOWN!!! > > Anyway we’re all alright…except… > > Me to. I didn’t. It went from “I smell smoke” to “The house is full of smoke,i can’t breath”, to flames…in seconds. And the fireman wouldn’t let me back in. All of them made it but one. If I knew how bad it was going to be…god i feel guilty. > > What happened? “something elecrical” that’s the official vertic so far. I have no idea what. There was nothing on back there (in the room i started in)…which brings us to the next question…no most of the house is still there but they’re not going to let us back in or let us near our stuff for a quite a while. > > We’ve had too many places to stay. Moving every couple days. But I have to think I’ve a lot luckier than a lot of displaced people (this year certainly). > > And Nailbunny, didn’t you need a little black humor when it happened to you? And if I’m on a ledge hanging by my nails with a poisionous snake at the top and a ravging tiger a the bottom I can still thing “What lovely stripes” :). > > Thanks for asking, Daithi Lacha …no they jut left the lousy plain ones those bastards :D) I’m very sorry to hear about that. ☹ It was many years ago, and I do seem to remember trying to find some reason to smile in the aftermath, but for the most part no, I was a very, very sad girl for a long time. But I have no desire to hijack your story with mine, like I said, it was a long time ago. I’m glad you’re okay, and sincerely sorry to hear about your kitty. Hopefully he’s hanging out with my Seymore somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330/20 "2006-02-14T01:04:18Z")
Oh, betenoir, I’m so sorry. ☹ Let us know if we can help. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-whose-house-burnt-down/344330.md?page=2)