![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Rule Zero: don't be on fire.
Feb. 8th, 2015 05:46 amSaturday: sleep, errands, and eventually hauling out garbage. And it was during the latter process that I heard the faint but distinct sputtering sound and saw the vapor rolling away from the corner of the fence around my neighbor's patio.
I put my garbage in the dumpster, used the bathroom so I wouldn't have to during the ensuing events, grabbed flashlight and cellphone, and went back outside.
The sputtering and vapor were coming from a pair of wires which were apparently associated with the lamp mounted on the outside of the patio fence.
I dialed the apartment complex number, then changed my mind and called 911 first. Once that was done, I had to unlock my phone out of emergency mode to call the apartment complex number. I ordered the information for the voicemail approximately like:
The fire department is on its way.
#[apt] is about to have an electrical fire.
I don't know where the breaker is.
This is [Azure], from [my apt]. My phone number is [#].
The callback from the maintenance guy was very quick. He said something about throwing clothes on and he was [6 units down].
Having discharged my duty, I kept the flashlight trained on the hissing wires, and told Twitter.
The maintenance guy arrived nearly simultaneously with the fire department. Maglights are also useful as a "hey here I am" tool. I showed them the place. Apparently this was not the first time they have come out for *exactly this problem*. (I recommend pausing to contemplate this fact. I am still musing on it some hours later.) It was still steam and not smoke.
Last time they were unsure of which breaker was the one. The maintenance guy went down to the garage to throw breakers until he got the right one.
That concluded the shenanigans for tonight as far as I was concerned, as the fire department went into standing down.
I went back inside and told IRC.
I put my garbage in the dumpster, used the bathroom so I wouldn't have to during the ensuing events, grabbed flashlight and cellphone, and went back outside.
The sputtering and vapor were coming from a pair of wires which were apparently associated with the lamp mounted on the outside of the patio fence.
I dialed the apartment complex number, then changed my mind and called 911 first. Once that was done, I had to unlock my phone out of emergency mode to call the apartment complex number. I ordered the information for the voicemail approximately like:
The fire department is on its way.
#[apt] is about to have an electrical fire.
I don't know where the breaker is.
This is [Azure], from [my apt]. My phone number is [#].
The callback from the maintenance guy was very quick. He said something about throwing clothes on and he was [6 units down].
Having discharged my duty, I kept the flashlight trained on the hissing wires, and told Twitter.
The maintenance guy arrived nearly simultaneously with the fire department. Maglights are also useful as a "hey here I am" tool. I showed them the place. Apparently this was not the first time they have come out for *exactly this problem*. (I recommend pausing to contemplate this fact. I am still musing on it some hours later.) It was still steam and not smoke.
Last time they were unsure of which breaker was the one. The maintenance guy went down to the garage to throw breakers until he got the right one.
That concluded the shenanigans for tonight as far as I was concerned, as the fire department went into standing down.
I went back inside and told IRC.
