Guess what?

[featherynscale]

I almost caught the house on fire last night! Whee. I left a votive candle burning in the fire-pot on my altar when I went to sleep. As the fire-pot is made out of clay, I didn't think that this would particularly be a problem. At least, not until I woke up at 4 a.m. with the strong urge to stick my head around the corner and look at the altar, at which point, I discovered that the side of the fire-pot was on fire. So I blew it out, and went back to bed. I managed to catch it before it even scorched the altar-cloth, but the fire-pot is going to have to be replaced (more for safety reasons than for damage).

So, thank you to who- or what- ever woke me up this morning. Please let me know who favors are owed to... thanks.

Comments

Huh.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I woke up at 4am as well, but I didn't "particularly" notice any smell or problem; just a funny coincidence, probably.

Re: Huh.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Eh, I think that's what happens when the whole house shares a brain. I'll try not to let my alarm impulses wake you up at unholy hours of the morning anymore, if I can help it.

Nah

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I'm equally willing to ascribe it to the need for Acetaminophen. No worries.

Yeah for not being on the news

[agrnmn.livejournal.com]

Since we have been using fire for so long I think there has been some evolutionary pressure to sense fire danger in our sleep. Glad you are safe.

Re: Yeah for not being on the news

[liquidfun.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't surprise me in the least if this were the case.

My asthma is an evolutionary advantage! When atmospheric irritants exist, I can't breathe and wake up, thus saving me from dying in toxic fire fumes. Well ... maybe ...

BTW - Glad the damage was trivial ... fire pots can be replaced.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

Flaming Death! Flaming Death!

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

I'm just glad to hear that all turned out well.

[malvito.livejournal.com]

I had a similar experience when I was living in a studio apartment in Glorious Downtown Kansas City. I had lit a gel candle and placed it on top of a mason jar (another former candle) close to a speaker, by the bed. Then I napped off. When I woke up, the gel was all alight and aflame, and dangerously close to the speaker. Since the glass was too hot for me to simply grab the candle and put it out, I did the first thing to occur to my still-in-R.E.M. brain, which, unfortunately, was not to calmly walk three steps to the kitchenette wannabe and grab some baking soda. No, the decision my still-sleeping mind came up with was to pick up the mason jar and gingerly creep to the bathroom and gingerly place the jar down into the bathtub. Which would have worked, had the still-flaming candle not dropped from the mason jar, shattering inside the bathtub and turning it into a lovely little 70's disaster film. ("The Bathtub Inferno")

At this point, Navy Safety training should have kicked in, and I should have gone for the baking soda, but it had, by that time, been a while since my time in the Navy. Nope, said sleeping brain directed me to fill a cup with water and attempt to douse the fire. Now, in retrospect, I should have remembered that one does not fight a chemical fire with water. I am reminded by the interesting burn scar on my right forearm.

But the apartment didn't burn down.

[kcwitch.livejournal.com]

glad you got to it on time. might be that god who smells of scotch who keeps popping into your room.