# Every had anything catch on fire? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 23, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854 "2008-09-23T16:31:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/41 "2008-09-24T18:05:05Z")
I was driving a 60 Oldsmobile my wifes grandfather gave her. It made a poof that sounded like a test tube when you made oxygen was hit with a match. The car burned like on TV. I was waiting for it to blow up when the firemen came and were casual as hell. The one I knew said they put out cars all the time and they do not blow up. I managed to rescue my golf clubs from the trunk. ---
**Author:** ![Claptree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Claptree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claptree)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/42 "2008-09-24T18:30:01Z")
I have no fire stories of my own to add, only this: brilliant story, **melodyharmonius**! ---
**Author:** ![TJVM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@TJVM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJVM)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/43 "2008-09-24T18:35:36Z")
When I was a freshman in high school, I decided, for some strange reason, to take a shop class (this was out of character for me). One of our projects was to fix a lawn mower. At some point my partner and I were supposed to generate a spark between a wire and the spark plug. We successfully did this, but it turned out that gasoline had been spilled on the mower at some point, and was still coating the outside of the mower. So, it immediately burst into flames. Naturally, everyone turned to look at the fire, and my partner helpfully shouted, “OH MY GOD, IT’S GOING TO BLOW!!!” Everyone completely freaked out and ran from the room, jumping over furniture, diving through the doorway, and so forth. The teacher calmly walked over and blasted the flaming mower with a fire extinguisher, and that was the end of it. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/44 "2008-09-24T19:29:23Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > We later found out that the original builders had never removed the wooden forms after pouring the concrete for our garage. The hole I had rolled the bricket in to had rested on a piece of this wooden form and burned sideways – so no matter how much water we poured down – it wasn’t spreading sideways the way it would have needed to. That reminds me of my buddy’s house after the plumber installed an outside faucet (soldered in with a torch). Right after the plumber left we were getting ready to go out to eat but paranoid me wanted to check the plumber’s work. I felt the inside wall where the plumber soldered the pipe and it was hot. I asked my buddy if he had a key hole saw and he asked me why. “Cause your house is on fire”. We cut a hole in the wall and sprayed water on the burning wood. Not be be outdone by my own paranoia I reached around the stud to the other side and grabbed a still burning chunk of wood. Ow. More cutting and more water. ---
**Author:** ![behr\_strat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@behr\_strat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/behr_strat)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/45 "2008-09-24T19:52:08Z")
> [@phall0106](#): > > About a month ago, my dad’s trailer caught fire and burned to the ground, completely destroying the trailer and everything in it. (No, he didn’t have insurance, but that’s another post.) Thinking about it, I realized this is the second fire he’s experienced in about the past ten years–the other was when the engine of his car caught fire. > > Hallgirl1’s engine caught fire as well several years ago, but it made me realize I’ve personally never had anything that’s caught fire. Maybe because I’m so paranoid about fire (fire extinguishers on every floor, several smoke detectors on each floor of the home, etc.), but yet then again, in all three instances of fires, there were really no warning signs. (No smoking in bed, no little kid playing with matches, etc.) > > Have you ever experienced a fire? Home, car, business, etc.? Do you know what caused it? (Both cars were gasoline leaking after major engine work being done–not by the same mechanic. The trailer, we have no idea.) Did you have insurance? (I’m insured, but the thought of having to replace everything I own is beyond overwhelming. I cannot imagine having to actually do it.) my brother was dickin around with a glove covered in cologne and his favorite lighter, flames shot up his arm and and burned his arm hair. hilarious. i personally have never had anything catch fire.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![behr\_strat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@behr\_strat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/behr_strat)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/46 "2008-09-24T20:01:22Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > When I was 7, my family lived in a quiet bedroom community in New England. I had spent the day playing at the neighbor’s house, and my parents and 3 older brothers had been to a sports tournament and were therefore pretty wiped out. Dad grilled burgers and dogs for dinner and then he and my mom turned in for the night, leaving my oldest brother in charge (he was 13 at the time). > > Bro got permission to make s’mores on the grill, so he and I went out to “stir up the coals” with a stick. He left me with strict instructions to stir while he went back inside to get the marshmallows et al. I stirred with all my 7-year old vigor – and actually knocked a bricket out of the grill and on to the ground. > > Without thinking, I immediately bent down and picked it up and threw it back in to the fire. Then it dawned on my tiny brain how that should have burned my hand, and yet I didn’t feel a thing. > > I must have super powers! I must be like those people in National Geographic that can walk on beds of hot coals and not get burned!! > > So excited about my newly discovered ability, I went back to vigorously stirring the coals and what do you know? I “accidentally” knocked ANOTHER bricket out of the grill. Only, this time I had a live coal and when I reached down to pick it up, it burned. Oh, how it burned. > > Dismayed to have lost my new-found abilities so quickly, I determined to try again. But again, the gods were displeased and my hand could not withstand the heat of the coal long enough to return it with the others in the grill. > > I knew why they were displeased. I had tried to use my National Geographic inspired super powers for my own personal pleasure, rather than because of necessity. So ashamed was I and intent on hiding my sin, that I rolled the hot coal to this hole in the ground that I remembered. It was conveniently located at the corner of the garage and the breezeway leading in to the house. > > My brother returned outside and noticed how quiet I was and commented. I confessed what I had done, and he immediately went to the hole and looked down inside. He could see the coal glowing and ran to get the hose. He soaked the hole, but no matter how much water he dumped down, there still seemed to be a glow. He finally shrugged his shoulders and we went back to what we were doing. > > Before going to bed, my brother did think to tell my dad, who in a half-awake stupor also doused the hole with water, kinda. He was so tired, I’m not sure his aim was that good. > > Later that night, my parents got a call from our neighbor. > > “Are you burning leaves?” she asked. > “At 10 o’clock? No, we are not,” said Dad. > “Well, then, your house is on fire.” > > We all were able to evacuate safely and my parents were able to go back inside and save some items and grab purses and move the cars. But the 7-alarm fire burned down our entire garage (well it exploded from the lawn mower), the breezeway, and half of the house. > > The firemen were great and moved as much stuff as they could from one side of the house to the other as they were battling the blaze. My bed and my brothers beds were covered with clothes and knick knacks they tried to save for us. It was the largest fire in the history of the town, and everyone was extremely generous, donating clothing and food and giving my mom a huge kitchen shower when we finally were done rebuilding. > > We later found out that the original builders had never removed the wooden forms after pouring the concrete for our garage. The hole I had rolled the bricket in to had rested on a piece of this wooden form and burned sideways – so no matter how much water we poured down – it wasn’t spreading sideways the way it would have needed to. > > I tried to confess to the Fire Chief when he came to interview my parents. But my mother was worried that I would get locked up in juvenile for being a pyromaniac or something, so she shushed me and wouldn’t let me tell. Until now . . . funny? tragic? i dont know but that was a good story dude. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/47 "2008-09-24T21:49:51Z")
I had a tortilla catch fire once. Apparently it’s a bad idea to put something that thin into a toaster. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/48 "2008-09-24T22:14:14Z")
Yeah, I had something catch fire once: me. I was probably 4 or 5 years old. My sister had this cool cigarette lighter—you know the old clear ones, with a couple little dice in it? I’d seen her fill it up before and monkey saw monkey did. [Image not available: kid, not clear on the concept, is filling it with fluid while excess trickles down his arm.] Better test it to make sure it works. WHOOSH! They heard my screaming, got to me really fast, put out the flames. Went to the hospital, but there was no permanent damage or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/49 "2008-09-24T23:43:48Z")
At 16 with a temp permit, I was treated to being able to move my sister’s POS VW beetle out of the family driveway (someone needed to get out). I backed it up a whopping three feet when the engine behind me burst into flames. I kept it moving so it wouldn’t set fire to the house and my brother got a fire extinguisher from the kitchen. Afterward, my sister started hitting me doing the “What did you do to my car?” routine. I was trying to tell her I hadn’t done Anything when my brother raised the engine hood above the rear bumper. “Hmmm. That shouldn’t be like that. Sis, did you disconnect this?” “Yeah, the heater wouldn’t turn off, so I disconnected it.” “Well, did you know that this is what cools your engine…?” “Umm…nooooo.” :smack: And the punching ceased. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/50 "2008-09-25T00:49:21Z")
My ex-wife accidentally turned on the wrong eye of the stove once and ignited a bread-cutting tray that was resting there. I patched the wallpaper next to the stove with a piece I cut from behind the refrigerator and applied with Elmer’s glue. Even got the full security deposit back. 🙂 Oh, and I was present when the woods near my childhood home were set on fire. Twice. Total damage, about half an acre each time. ---
**Author:** ![Skylark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Skylark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skylark)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/51 "2008-09-25T01:25:53Z")
Lost a nipple at a party once (it grew back, mostly). One time, in high school, a buddy and I were trying to make hash. We heard a recipe you could save some unused parts of the bag, collect a bunch of it, then with some acetone after a couple days do something on a cooking pan with a low flame and you end up with a highly potent tar. (Read: This is a really dumb idea.) Turns out acetone’s more than slightly flammable. Boy, kitchens sure light up quick. Flames was all over the place. And up my buddy’s arms, and over his back… Luckily, after a couple seconds of “oh cool huh huh huh… oh, shit…” we were able to panic ourselves a firefighting effort. The kitchen was surprisingly pretty good, tho the smell of burnt paint thinner stayed for a long time. That was really our main concern, since we knew his parents would be home in a few hours :smack:. Our dude ruined his shirt, and we had to take him to a minor emergency clinic, who told us he was ‘ok tho kinda fucked’, which made sense at the time but not anymore, which meant we got to take him to the emergency room, which meant as an “emergency” I got to run my buddy’s Mustang through every red light in town. He got put in bandage wrap with a Zoidberg-like claw for a while, but it eventually healed, more or less. He never liked marching band practice anyhow. Surprisingly, none of the docs there believed our story us scruffy teenagers were “making some chicken” and the whole house _just happened_ to catch on fire. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/52 "2008-09-25T02:43:44Z")
A friend of mine was driving along the highway near Cache Creek, BC, Canada and made the mistake of tossing a cigarette butt from the window. Canada is normally know for its vast forests and frigid winters but the area around Cache Creek is very, very dry and more of a hilly grassland and can get Arizona-hot in summer. The cigarette butt caught an air current and was deposited into a box of newspapers in the back of her pickup truck. She learned this when the flames filled her rear view mirror. In a panic, she pulled over and desperately kicked the box out of the truck only to watch it roll into the ditch and promptly ignite the grass. Immediately, the entire ditch was on fire and a wall of flame was essentially walking up an entire hillside. She said it was like watching water run uphill. Within minutes, the entire area was on fire and the entire town was mobilized to extinguish the fire. She was so shocked and grief stricken all she could do was sit on the side of the road and cry while she watched the local citizens fight to save their town. They saved the town but she got in a lot of trouble. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/53 "2008-09-25T03:27:26Z")
> [@Claptree](#): > > I have no fire stories of my own to add, only this: brilliant story, **melodyharmonius**! Why thank you! And kudos to you for joining SDMB on my birthday! ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/54 "2008-09-25T03:34:15Z")
(couldn’t add these in time for the edit window) \*\*Magiver: \*\* smart thinking on your part. At 7, I was not so smart. Have I mentioned that I’m blonde? **Behr:** yeah, I know it was tragic - but time heals all wounds. That was _gulp_ 31 years ago, so you have to look back at the more tragic things and find the humor and the joy. For me, it’s the sheepish awe of the stream of consciousness my mind posessed. I really thought for a split second I had kick-ass powers. ---
**Author:** ![Influential\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Influential\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Influential_Panda)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/55 "2008-09-25T03:59:24Z")
Fire? Oh fuck yeah. Until very recently, my full-time job was being a chef. In a really, really old building. With a whole bunch of lazy assholes who liked to get drunk on the job and skip the shitty things that need to be done, like “clean the stove” or “clean grease spills.” We had a fire roughly every three weeks. Whenever one of the stove eyes would catch on fire, we would fight over who got to grab the fire extinguisher. We actually got in trouble from management because fire extinguisher costs were starting to eat into our profits. One day, the carbon filters above the grill spontaneously caught fire and the whole restaurant had to be shut down for a couple of days. Eventually, we got these sweet extinguishers that didn’t shoot a big cloud of spray as sort of drop a big liquid _ploop_ on the fire. Those things were the bomb; fire went OUT in about half a second of that bad boy being pulled out. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/56 "2008-09-25T04:26:25Z")
My roommate once had a pan of frying oil catch on fire while she and I were in the kitchen cooking. I was awed at how quickly and smoothly she threw a lid on that sucker. I would have run around yelling, “Yipes! Yipes!” for at least a few seconds before remembering what to do. My own personal catch on fire story comes from when I was living in Spain. In Granada, where I lived, it got extremely cold in the winter. Everybody had these “table heaters.” They were large, open coil heaters designed to fit underneath a round table. Then everyone would sit around the table and place the heavy, blanket-like tablecloth over their legs to keep warm. One day, I was lounging at the table with my feet stretched out when I smelled something burning. I looked under the table and, aaagh! Slippers on fire! I can’t really recall what I did at this point, but the fire basically extinguished itself when removed from the heat. My slippers were charcoal. Luckily, the soles were such thick rubber/plastic stuff that I wasn’t burned, nor did I even really feel the heat apart from the regular intense warmth from the heater. I guess I was a naive American, believing that a household item meant for everyday use could surely not harm me. The kicker is, I later charred _another_ pair of slippers in the exact same way. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/57 "2008-09-25T07:00:40Z")
When I was about 14 or 15 my electric blanket caught fire…While I was in bed asleep. I woke up wondering where the smell of smoke was coming from. I got out of bed went to the window to sniff (my dad was the fire captian at that time so i liked to be forewarned of an alarm. Couldn’t work it out got back into bead and turned out the light (I had fallen asleep reading so the light was on) lay for a bit rolled over and eyarrrrrrgh. The spot where the electic wires had worn through had finally set the sheets on fire. I panicked so badly I froze trying to yell out fire fire electrical fire. My parents thought I was having a nightmare so were not worried too much. eventually they checked on me and found me huddled in the corner of my bed in complete meltdown. Mum turned off the electricity smothered the flames and gave me a tongue lashing. I have not trusted an electic blanket to this day. MRW ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/58 "2008-09-25T08:29:24Z")
Yup. Many years ago, shortly after moving into our first house (it was brand-spankin’-new) I was in the basement doing carpentry; my wife had started supper, then brought down a couple of beers which we sipped while surveying my progress. Suddenly we heard a panicked cry from our then-5-year-old son that there was a fire in the kitchen. I race up the stairs; the child was plastered against a wall staring in terror at the kitchen, the glow of flames reflected on his face. As I turned into kitchen I saw a column of fire shooting up from the stove. I grabbed the first metal thing I could find – it was an old cookie sheet – and clapped it over the blazing saucepan, grabbed the pan handle and tossed the whole mess out into the back yard. Burning butter splashed about on my newly sodded lawn, but quickly went out. Back in the kitchen, things were not going so well. The flames had burned through the hood filter, igniting the charcoal inside and the plastic blades on the whirring range hood fan; glowing embers were being propelled out through the vent all over the kitchen floor. I reached my hand (still gloved, fortunately) up into the range hood and pulled everything down onto the stovetop, grabbed the spray nozzle from the kitchen sink and started spraying. My wife called the fire department. An hour later, after the local firefighters had determined that there was no more danger, we closed up the house and went out for pizza. It cost us a little over $2,000 to repair the damage. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/59 "2008-09-25T16:37:28Z")
> [@madrabbitwoman](#): > > When I was about 14 or 15 my electric blanket caught fire…While I was in bed asleep. I woke up wondering where the smell of smoke was coming from. I got out of bed went to the window to sniff (my dad was the fire captian at that time so i liked to be forewarned of an alarm. Couldn’t work it out got back into bead and turned out the light (I had fallen asleep reading so the light was on) lay for a bit rolled over and eyarrrrrrgh. The spot where the electic wires had worn through had finally set the sheets on fire. I panicked so badly I froze trying to yell out fire fire electrical fire. My parents thought I was having a nightmare so were not worried too much. eventually they checked on me and found me huddled in the corner of my bed in complete meltdown. Mum turned off the electricity smothered the flames and gave me a tongue lashing. I have not trusted an electic blanket to this day. > > MRW Although I had an electric blanket as a kid, and it never caught fire, I’ll not have one to this day for this very reason. ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854/60 "2008-09-25T18:51:16Z")
An ex-girlfriend of mine had a brand on her side from an electric blanket. She was around 8 yo when it happened. Her mother threw out like 10 electric blankets the next day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-had-anything-catch-on-fire/464854.md?page=2)