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"I nearly died the other day"

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Sat 29/01/05 at 01:16
Regular
Posts: 18,185
Have you ever witnessed a full scale blaze?

I'd like to tell you a story of a fire that stunned my sense and nearly caused my death.

My friend is currently working for an agency, I shall call my friend Mike for the sake of saving him any trouble (just in case it somehow gets back to him). Mike has been currently dealing with a lot of stock that comes back from various supermarkets and major chains. This stock isn't food and toys but checkout goods, such as recipt machines and chip and pin machines. My friends job is to sort the goods into various boxes and stack them on the right pallet. It sounds boring and it is, it is only temporary before they can get him on the road selling and installing these goods, but right now he has to do a bit of packing. In order to make these days of boxing and sorting go by easier he invites me along, someone who is currently waiting for his new uni year to start and has nothing better to do.

These boxes, a good 2000 of them, are located in a barn in a village/hamlet called Easton (near Huntingdon). This barn belongs to the farmer and he rents it out to a company. At the back of the barn is a massive mountain of corn which I like to slide down whilst I try and take my friends mind off his mundane task. The boxes are stacked on pallets, some just 10 boxes high, whilst others, stretching really high, up to 20 boxes. Boring you yet? Don't worry it gets interesting.

On a cold January day last wednesday my friend was listening to music via some speakers and my I-pod whilst using a small lamp to make the barn lighter and warm it up a little, the door had been closed to try and stop the cold air from blowing it. I had clambered and perched myself ontop of a stack of boxes (one of the larger stacks). Whilst my mate began his tast of unpacking the boxes the music cut out and a spark caused one of the boxes to light from the area where the lamp and speakers were. My mate, fearful for the electronic goods (namely my I-pod), kicked the box to one side.

This box promptly lit some polystyrene, which not only smells, burns very quickly but also gives off a thick black smoke. At this point, from my elevated position, I found this rather amusing, as my mate tried to stamp the box out. But that smile would soon fade. For the polystyrene caused another box to set alight and suddenly one whole stack was ablaze. I should also point out at this moment that the stacks are extremley close to one another. My mate panicked, he suddenly realised he couldn't get to these boxes as they were in a middle of the stack. He couldn't knock it to the floor and allow the fire to go out itself.

Instead the bright spark that he is (no pun intended), decided to waft the fire, that's right, pick up a piece of cardboard and waft it to other boxes. I looked, initially in humour, but soon in horror, as I realised this entire barn could burn down. I was so worried that the stock would be destroyed that I didn't even begin to realise the danger I was in. My friend was standing now near where my I-pod was, he was safe, the door was behind him and the boxes are less numerous in that area. I on the other hand was sitting on one of the stacks. Another stack set alight when I realised I had to move but then the middle area was lit.

I could not get down without setting myself on fire.

I clambered from stack to stack and I realised that my best chance of escape was to stand on one burning stack that had a window situated near it, allowing me to escape. As I leapt from a small stack to a large one, boxes began to fall. These boxes aren't the most stable of things. Coughing and REALLY feeling the heat I clambered onto the burning stack only for some of the boxes to fall away. Boxes which no longer contained anything as fire had burnt a whole in them and the plastic goods had fallen out. I did though safely make it through the window and leapt into the barn next door.

I ran around, stupidly looking for a blanket, hoping to put the fire out. I returned to my friend and I asked if it had got better, he was still in the barn and the door was open. He replied "No it's got worse... help me", he was pleading, he couldn't believe so much had gone wrong so quickly. I looked in the barn and the entire area was ablaze, the stack I was sitting on was now fully ablaze, my mate still helpless fanning and blowing the fire. That's right blowing it. We had to get away, this wasn't going to stop easily, so I dashed in, grabbed my I-pod and left.

Then the popping started.

Of course Corn + fire = loads of exploding corn. The corn was like gun shot rounds going off and soon the entire area was alerted to some travisty. My friend was hoping this wouldn't get back to his boss or the farmer, although I had no idea how the fact all his bosses stock had been destroyed was gonna go unnoticed. My friend called the fire brigade as a gang of 10 or so farmers turned up.

5 fire engines later and the fire was eventually doused. The entire barn burnt to the ground. My friend wasn't in any real trouble, but whether he has a job or not eludes me as I haven't seen him since.

You see I wasn't supposed to be with him during that incident, he was supposed to work alone. And so when Mike realised his boss was coming I had to leave. And I made it across 10 miles worth of fields before I got home.

Why did I tell you this story? Well it is by far the most interesting thing that has occured in my life in years. I have never witnessed anything quite so horrific but so exciting at the same time.

Have any of you been involved in a fire?

Dringo.
Tue 01/02/05 at 02:14
Regular
"twothousandandtits"
Posts: 11,024
But the fire did have PS2 quality graphics, come on...
Tue 01/02/05 at 00:30
Regular
Posts: 18,185
Yeah, it had planned to put the fire out too but the battery died :)
Mon 31/01/05 at 23:58
Regular
"twothousandandtits"
Posts: 11,024
But it also caused the fire in the first place. It deliberately set itself up as a hero. It's an arrogant bas, but you've got to admit it's an intelligent machine.
Mon 31/01/05 at 23:55
Regular
Posts: 18,185
Blank wrote:
> And the iPod saved the day.

Naturally Apple's beauty survived the blaze without any harm :)
Mon 31/01/05 at 19:41
Regular
"twothousandandtits"
Posts: 11,024
Don't worry, I read it.
Mon 31/01/05 at 17:02
Regular
"Not a Jew"
Posts: 7,532
They deleted my post. It was quality reading..
Mon 31/01/05 at 01:34
Regular
"twothousandandtits"
Posts: 11,024
And the iPod saved the day.
Sun 30/01/05 at 20:33
Regular
Posts: 23,216
As I was driving, a car hit me from the side. I didn't get hurt because I am tough and strong.
Sun 30/01/05 at 20:19
Regular
Posts: 939
Nearly got run over a couple times but didnt coz im solid.
Sun 30/01/05 at 20:17
Regular
"Excommunicated"
Posts: 23,284
You crazy coconuts.

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