FIRE!!!

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in the living room of our flat diligently updating this very website when I looked over and out the window to see flames. Big farking flames! I thought to myself hmmm... There is a fire ban on, so why is Bruce (our flatmate) burning off the brush? Well during that millisecond of pondering the flames got about as twice as big. So I put down the laptop and went outside to inquire about the particular situation with my flatmate. Bruce is nowhere to be found. In fact there is nobody to be found, surprising really as 5 minutes ago there where 4 other people swirling within the house.



I ran to the front of the house and then downstairs to search for Bruce. He was still M.I.A.. From here I went back to the back yard in the meantime I scooped my phone up to call 111 (NZ 911). Just as I was about to hit send I noticed Bruce just outside the window on the patio crouched down beside the water tap. He looked up with eyes the size of America's financial problems and said "Get a bucket...NOW!" as he was hooking up the hose. "In the laundry room!" he yelped, and turn off the washing machine!!!" We both split for our intended jobs; killing the fire before it burns down half the neighborhood. The fire was already hot enough that the first bit of water to hit the base was instantly turned to steam. I followed quickly with buckets to douse the area as much as possible in order to stop potential flare ups. Once under control I asked Bruce why he was burning off the brush. He then told me about the faulty hedge trimmer he was using to clean up the garden. He went onto explain about how a cattail like piece of vegetation had gotten wedged between the extension cord plug and pluggin for the trimmer, resulting in a small non-threatening ember. It was discarded and not thought of again. Well obviously it had a bit more punch to it. Then the fire department showed up, blaming us for a illegal backyard burn off. I said to him, it was not on purpose and told him go save the neighbors fence which was still on fire.



After all was said and done and we were drinking beer reminiscing about the day Bruce let out a light "Hmmmfff."

I responded with "wha?"

Bruce replied, "You know that fire this afternoon, the one with the fire trucks and scorched fence."

"Yes," I said.

"I think it could have been a cigarette, ya know, I was smoking and just discarded it. Might not have been the pluggins after all. Oh well, we'll never know."



Some good drama here at 26A Seapoint Rd.



Bruce on dousing duty.



The amount of smoke and steam from the fire.

Explanation to the fire brigade.

More explanation... "Yes sir, I was over there when it happened."

Red fire truck parked out front, the other one was down the street.

I didn't have time to take a photo of the actual flames being in panic mode and all but here is a reasonable facsimile of the size. Note - this is not a real photo!

We even made the popular column in the local newspaper, Hawkes Bay Today!