I came home today to find my house filled with smoke - two dogs and cat coughing and spluttering so I grabbed them and chucked them in the car and called the fire brigade - apparently next door (who had also gone out) had had a new wood burner installed this morning and the company had not checked his chimney out which in fact finished in his attic!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Am now waiting for said company to come back to assess the damage every thing smells of smoke - at least it wasn't a real fire and and no one hurt but very scary all the same - just needed to talk about it - by the way - no real hunky fireman!!!!!

Thank heavens you got home when you did. Hope the fur babies are ok, keep a eye on them. Glad everyone is ok.

No hunky fireman huh? That takes all the fun out of it!! I am glad it wasn't a real fire! :thumbup: :D

Sorry about the firemen! Hope you didn't have any smoke damage. Will you have to wash your stash? Good thing you came home when you did! Good luck that it all turns out fine.

must admit was concerned about one of the dogs who is 14 and the cat who is 20 but they seem ok and the vet has told me what to look for

fortunately my stash is in the basement which is ok its all upstairs - new bedding and possibly some clothes and curtains!!

sounds like u were lucky! fires r so horrible.my bil died becase of smoke inhalation. he was about a foot from the back door with a towel wrapped over his face.thank goodness u and urs r ok :)

Praise God you came home when you did! The thought of your fur babies being in that mess makes my blood freeze!

I am so happy to hear that no one was hurt! Hard to believe that no one checked the chimney :roll:
I sure hope that your neighbor has insurance so you can replace and clean your belongings.

Sorry that you couldn't have Hunky Firemen to add to your No Real Fire luck. Maybe we can send you some.

Oh, that's awful. I've had to deal with wildfire odors. It can be tough. I wash my linens, curtains, towels and anything else that will go into the machine in vinegar. Last time I even had to wash out my cupboards and dishes. Good luck with your clean up. :0)

thank you - gave me a laugh

NO They only send the hunky firemen when you are at your worst :) I should know! I am glad you and your furbabies are ok!

Wet some towels with water and wave them around inside the house it will help to remove the smoke. Febreeze should help with the smell. Glad the animals are okay.

ROFLMAO !!! Everytime:)


Glad no one was hurt !!! Installers should be able to help w/the cleanup!! Good Luck

Glad the pets were okay!

Here is my hunky fireman......

My younger brother Trace....................... 8-)

thats what i was thinking

We had a pretty good housefire a few years ago...BIG TIP Put bowls of baking soda everywhere...in closets, storage, all rooms etc. It'll take the smoke smell right out in 24 hours

Take it from someone that DID have a fire in her house (me), the smoke is the enemy for you right now! If your furnace could have run during that time, they need to PAY to have someone clean out your ducts and furnace. I ended up taking the cupboard doors off to paint and discovered there was soot behind the hinges. I had a grandfather clock -- found out they had to take that in and have the insides cleaned out -- soot is acidic! Oh -- the smoke smell. If they don't put fans in to get it out of your house, then put bowls of white vinegar in your rooms...keep it fresh --- for about a month. When I sold my house, no one could tell I'd had a fire!!!

Oops -- double post -- now I know how that happens. Sorry

Glad you and the furbabies are okay. Take care!

I'm glad your pets were okay. That smoke can be very caustic to some animals. My mother-in-law's 'across the street neighbor' had a house fire and the smoke blew straight into her home. It was almost as if she had had a fire herself. We went to our local janitor supply store and they sold us a 'fogger' specifically formulated to get rid of smoke smell. It worked great. I don't know if you have access to such a store, but if you do it would be well worth looking into. (If also worked for a friends daughter whose fire place caught their living room on fire.) Good luck.

Jandee,

I had a house fire about 15 years ago. Smoke damage and the resulting smell is awful and not an easy thing to get rid of. There are many home remedies and will work with some success. However the best advice I can give you is

CALL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY

That's why we all pay insurance premiums. Your company will no doubt go after your neighbor's company for reimbursement, but that's not your problem. You should also be reimbursed for you deductible. Don't be shy about this.

I remember the cost of washing all of the clothes, linens, curtains, drapery, throw rugs and had to throw out pillows and cushions. My damage was so bad that the insurance company declared my house "unsafe" to live in until a cleaning crew came in and washed ceilings, walls, floors, upholstery and carpets. HUGE bill that thankfully was paid by insurance.

Sorry to ramble here but boy did this ever bring back bad memories. CALL THE INSURANCE COMPANY!!! THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE IT.

That must of been so scarey for you. Glad you got your babies out of there in time.

Thanks for that - I have now called my insurance company and they are sending someone out tomorrow (mon) to help me work out how much to claim - am not at all worried if they go after the company as the said company haven't bothered to contact me despite leaving several messages and as you say that is what we pay our premiums for

So happy your fur babies are okay. Glad it wasn't a fire. One week ago 7 homes burned and a mother and daughter and their 2 fur babies. Sure put a dampner on this borough.

that must have been awful - sure puts things into perpective

I just read that you can get rid of odors in fabrics if you put them in a bag and place them in your freezer for a few days depending how bad the smell.Remove odors
Got a musty-smelling book or a plastic container with a fish odor? Place them in the freezer overnight. By morning they'll be fresh again. This works with almost any other small item that has a bad smell you want to get rid of.

Ditter - I love reading things you write. You're a girl after my own heart! :thumbup: