Wades Beach: Out of the Ashes

Chrissie is at the house today with the cleaning crew. Apparently they are saying all the books in the house are not going to be saved. This is a real bummer. About 200 of them were Chrissie's dad's books. And while I don't think I would ever get around to reading a bio of Nixon,Reagan, or Margaret Thatcher, I did like that we had his collection of biographies. And a lot on the Civil War, the Classics, and quite a bit of humor (her dad was a fan of Robert Benchley, I learned). They are also telling her the pictures on the walls must be tossed out, because of the stink of smoke. I am fighting that one. I want to get them cleaned and saved.

And the pod is still on the front of the house. Not sure if it will stay there or be moved. I am looking forward to going there tomorrow and meeting with the architect and contractors.

Labels: Aftermath

I just got a call that the pod is on the property. This is what we will store our belongings in for 6 months while the house is rebuilt. Apparently, it is big. And ugly. I will get a look at it Friday when we go out there. I wonder if we will be getting a port-a-potty too?

Labels: Aftermath

A quick update tonight: Chrissie is taking off work Thursday and Friday, I am just taking off Friday. On Thursday she is meeting with the first architect and contractor. I like these people, who have done a lot of work on the island. Nice houses. On Friday, we meet with someone from the insurance company to talk about the lost and damaged personal property. I am just about done with my inventory of what was lost.

I hope we can hire a contractor and architect ASAP, and start the rebuilding process.

Labels: Construction

I forgot to mention that last weekend I posted another 60 or so photos from the morning after the fire. What happened was that I only had my cell phone with me (the first pix). We borrowed Hillary's camera (our next door neighbor, God bless her and Ian). We got a CD of pix from them a few days ago.

In these pix you can clearly see the damage. And also here is the culprit, the faulty pipes that failed and sent burning embers from the fireplace to the walls. Also, the front bedroom and back bedroom are not too bad; except for the ceiling holes. Master bedroom? Forget about it.

The exterior also shows the big hole in the roof, now covered in a big blue tarp.

I really do not have it in me to take any more photos of the damaged house, until we start building again. I like to remember how it was.

Labels: Aftermath

I have never been in a housefire before. I was fairly shocked to have it happen. Since Chrissie was OK (she was at the house, I was in New York) and no firefighters were hurt, what else was there to worry about?

My comic book collection.

I will try and explain how it did not burn up, yet every other bit of my collections, in the attic, is now either melted plastic or ash. The reason is that the boxes (22 of them) were kept in a closet in the master bedroom, a closet so jammed with "my stuff" that nothing else could fit into it. This closet also contains t-shirts that are 25 years old (I am not making this up). All 22 of these boxes ("short" boxes to comics geeks) hold around 5,000 comics. About 85 percent survived OK; the rest had smoke damage and a light smell.

Operation Chrissie Comics Crusade Rescue was Sunday.

The cleaning service we have coming out this week toured the house last Friday. They advised Chrissie to get the comic book collection out now. We borrowed Ayan's car on Sunday morning and raced to Shelter Island. As a light snow fell, we swooped in and pulled out the heavy boxes and stacked them on the porch. Chrissie also got some clothes out of the bedroom dresser drawers.

After a detour to visit Sonia and Brian in Bridgehampton, we made it home to Harlem. Ayan met us at the curb and we unloaded the boxes. I carefully cracked them open. Some had water damage so bad that the bottom of the boxes fell apart. However, for the most part the plastic sleeves protected them. There was a lot of moisture. For a few hours, Ayan and I opened up box after box. Chrissie pitched in. We got the bulk of them out of the boxes, sleeves, and wetness. When the final tally came in, only around 100 comics were garbage. Unfortunately, these were good ones: Sandman and Preacher (total crap like Topps' Lone Ranger and Duckman survived in NM condition).

The next step is I must purchase 5,000 bags and 5,000 boards and put them all away. But at least one collection didn't get trashed in the fire. I can't say the same for my Star Wars, metal lunchboxes, or HO model trains. But it is a nice feeling to know that at least some comics that I've had for 30+ years are not lost.

Labels: Possessions

This week the local newspaper wrote about our fire which happened on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008. I love how the Shelter Island Reporter relied on a photo supplied by the cops. It is nice and orange, isn't it? Since the account is not available without subscribing to the paper, here is what is has to say:

Chimney fire burns through roof

A chimney fire broke out Saturday evening at an occupied house located at 99 South Midway Road. The Fire Department responded after being dispatched at 7:35 p.m.

Fire Chief Ron Jernick said that while the fire was out within half an hour, the damage was quite extensive. “They’ll probably have to rebuild from scratch,” he said, adding, “Their roof is pretty much gone. That’s the main thing.”

The fire “started in and around the fireplace,” Chief Jernick said.

Supplementing the efforts of the Ladies Auxiliary, neighbors Abby and Fred Dress brought coffee for the volunteers, which in addition to Island firefighters included a Greenport rapid intervention team, members of the local Red Cross ambulance corps and a disaster services team to assist the homeowner. A Sag Harbor fire crew stood by at the Center Firehouse in case there was another alarm call.

Flames from a fire that started near the fireplace burst through the chimney box, consuming a large portion of the roof and attic.
Photo courtesy SIPD

I checked and we did not make The New York Times or Newsday. As far as fires go, it was among a rash of recent fires on the island, but nowhere close to the biggest.

Labels: Aftermath