RE: Hell Night

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "patrick herd" <zl2uph@xxxxxxxxxxx>




Stork,

I think i speak for everyone on the list when i say if there's anything any 
of us can do to help whether it be  restocking the treasure collection once 
your garage is rebuilt or loaning you a set of screwdrivers, we'll do what 
we can. I'm just glad that the two of you are unhurt.

Keep smiling when at all possible
Pat
>
>3/27/05
>
>Over the past twenty years I have enjoyed Tesla coiling and various
>high
>energy-HV pursuits.  I have collected a vast array of books,
>instruments
>and just plane interesting and good "stuff".  I have made many
>different
>coils, projects, models and instruments.  My three car garage turned
>into a two car garage with a hobbyist lab/shop in one bay and along
>two
>walls.  In addition to my electronic equipment, I put together a
>modest
>shop with many tools and power equipment.  As time went by my
>collection
>grew bigger and even better and I have spent enumerable pleasurable
>hours with my hobby.  I know our avocation is often considered
>dangerous, but I always practice it with care and caution.
>
>On 3/24/05 I left work and arrived home about 5:30 PM.  I parked my
>2000
>Ford Expedition in the middle bay and went through the breezeway
>into my
>house.  I went up to my small office just off my bed room on the
>second
>floor of my house to work on my computer.  Just after 7:00 PM we
>heard a
>muffled boom and the windows shook a little.  My wife asked if I
>heard
>that noise and I said 'yes, I think it's just a truck in front of
>the
>house' (the road crews were re-surfacing the road at night).  She
>thought someone was trying to enter our house through the back so we
>turned on the back outside lights and there seemed to be no problem.
>  We
>heard another noise down stairs so I went down to investigate.
>Nothing
>and no one was in the house.  But, as I rounded the corner to the
>breezeway I heard a muffled cracking sound in the garage.  I was
>sure
>someone was in the garage.  I cracked the door open and reached in
>and
>flipped on the light.  I opened the door and to my complete surprise
>and
>astonishment I found not a person, but fire and black smoke
>billowing
>up.  I have two garage fire extinguishers, but immediately knew I
>could
>not manage the situation with them.  I slammed the door and told my
>wife
>to call 911.
>
>I ran back through the house and out the front door to the driveway
>in
>front of the garage.  The intense heat caused two garage doors to
>partially open about half way.  The flames quickly spread and
>completely
>engulfed my Expedition and my wife's just paid for 1997 BMW.  The
>fire
>spread incredibly fast.  At that point, I knew it was really
>dangerous
>and yelled for my wife to run out the back door onto our dock, which
>she
>did.  I ran out to the street to direct the fire trucks when they
>came.
>Even though the fire station is only two miles away it seemed like
>it
>took them forever to get there and set up.
>
>The fire was an inferno at this point.  The garage was totally
>consumed
>in flames and there were about a dozen more explosions.  There was
>one
>huge explosion and fire and debris ejected about 50 feet out the
>garage
>doors and the garage roof lifted up several feet.  A fire ball went
>up
>past the top of the surrounding oak trees to about 75 - 100 feet.
>One
>oak tree caught on fire.  The fire started going up the breezeway
>under
>the eves to my house.  At that point, I suddenly knew the house
>would
>catch on fire and probably burn to the ground.
>
>The Navy and Coast Guard were conducting night maneuvers out on the
>St
>Johns River behind my house.  A helicopter saw my wife on the end of
>the
>dock and directed a Coast Guard boat over to the dock with its
>search
>light.  My wife sure did appreciate those two guys coming over to
>help
>her.  I did too.
>
>When the fire engines arrived the fire was up to the breezeway and
>starting to enter the house.  These guys were tremendous.  Their
>plan
>was to attack the fire at the breezeway/house and try to cut it off
>from
>the inferno in the garage.  Miraculously, it worked.  It took over
>three
>hours to get the fire out.
>
>We got out with the clothes on our backs and are in a Holiday Inn
>now.
>Our home is extensively damaged and we will be out of it for about
>eight
>months for repair.  The breezeway, adjacent trees, garage and both
>cars
>are destroyed.  My beloved equipment, tools and invaluable treasures
>no
>longer exist.
>
>Of course, the real question is how did all this happen?  I will
>tell
>you categorically our hobby had nothing at all to do with this
>catastrophe.  When I initially went into the garage and saw the
>fire, it was under the Expedition engine area.  Flames were coming
>out around the driver's side wheel well and around the hood where it
>was fitted to the SUV. A large amount of black smoke was also coming
>out of this area. There was no other area burning or out of order in
>the garage.  The fire was entirely caused by the car.
>
>I write only to inform you disasters can and do happen, and that we
>should all continuously strive for safety in what ever we do.
>
>The only good thing about all of this is Anne and I are still alive
>and
>not hurt.  Even though it will take a good year of our lives to
>recover,
>only material things were lost.  Oh well, I don't even own a screw
>driver now.
>
>stork
>
>
>
>