April 30, 2000: "There is a fire in the apartment below you..."

In response, I completed his sentence: "So I should grab some things and run, right?"

Not 30mins after I completed putting the entry up for the 29th, did someone come pounding on my door. Shit, I was still in the process of shutting down!

Anyhoo. So yes, the apartment under me had a fire going on. After he told me (I think he's the guy who lives on the other end of the top floor, #11.) I put on some shoes, grabbed wallet and checkbook...and my school bag. I was looking around at what else I could grab...computer... stereo....Nintendo...CDs.... Yeah, that would have been stupid huh?

But I dunno, I had a feeling that I didn't NEED to be scared for my life and be concerned with grabbing everything I deemed valuable outside with me. So I stood in the back alley with the guy, and a few others: #3 and some by-standers. Amazingly, I also heard sirens as soon as I arrived. I asked if those were "for us" and he said "yes." Damn, that was fast. It probably wasn't even 2mins and the fire department was practically here.

Meanwhile, I got a look at the apartment; there was smoke billowing from the kitchen window. They (him and #6, nice lady) said they knocked on that door but no one answered. They were also wondering aloud why the manager's mother didn't give them the master key so that they could open that apartment. I was shocked: she WAS here? Well, then where was she!?

She was in her apartment for some reason. OOoookay.

The fire department arrived and tried to kick the door down. But then they got that battering ram and smashed the door in. Smoke came out in clouds and they rushed in....

...and came out with the girl! She was home this whole time? What the hell was she doing? Later I found out that she was in her room (which is actually the living room) and that she was working on the computer. I also think she said she had headphones on as well since she was guesturing at her ears. Hmmm.

So that's scary, that a fire was going on and everyone knew but her. And that also means that she obviously did NOT have her fire detector working. It would have easily gone off with all that smoke.

They finally got the master key and went into the neighboring place to see if there was any damage. Thankfully there wasn't. I was concerned about my place, being right above the fire..but when I left all I saw was smoke coming up from their place. And the firemen said the fire was confined to the stove. So.

I'm standing out here just plain amazed. Larry had gone to the engineering open house. I was alone. I did grab the phone while on my way out, so I called Wilson and left a message. I stood there with #6 and the girl, and just watched until there wasn't anything else happening.

Disappointingly, the manager's mother was mostly concerned about the door. Hello..person? Door...person? Door! And she also must remember that they did go to her first to ask for the master key and she just disappeared somewhere! Maybe to look for the key? But come on..It has to be just out hanging somewhere.

After the excitement died down...once the firemen appeared, everyone else I was standing with just left! :P Wilson called me back and we just talked about it. I was just getting down to studying too. Then I called my sister about it and she suggested renter's insurance. Hey, that's a good idea.

Lar came home and I told him what happened. How crazy is that? I did get to reading...I read a lot. I still have much to do. I'm not terribly nervous about my Classics midterm. I just need to finish what was assigned and then go over main characters and quotes.

The manager did come up here and talked to Larry about what happened. The girl is responsible for replacing that sheet rock and whatever else was broken when the fire department came. (=big money) At least she doesn't need to replace the stove, it's fine...prolly dirty that's all. But that sucks..the broken door. I mean, I am "glad" that she should pay something since she didn't even have BATTERIES in her fire detector. She didn't answer the door, and I think they even called her but she was online! Just damned careless. And then I also think that the manager's mother should have some part in it as well, because the fire department would not have had to barge in and break the door if she'da just given us the master key. There was plenty of time for her to give it to us.

Hell, we were even making HER do it. Just give us the key and we'll do it. She's old. So that concerns me how she's not on the ball. I mean, I've gone to her a few times before..most recently for the fridge...and she was 1) afraid to open the door for me and 2) closed the door on me as she scrambled around looking for paper to write telephone numbers for me.

It's like she can't really do anything. And when I did talk to her, she seemed almost scared to suggest that I call the owner. Made her out to seem like some mean woman. But I've talked to her a few times and she's very nice! And I hate having to go to her to ask for things, such as phone numbers.

I think these things should just be available. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have a phone directory of the people who live here, numbers of owner/repairmen, occupants, and parking spaces. Last year Lar and I went to her just to ask who parked next to us so we could ask him to move his car. :P She talked to us through her damned door! Argh..frustrating...

Yep, it sucks that you can't trust your neighbors in this way. Renter's insurance here we come!

Last old entry was April 29, 2000.