EXPERIENCE, THE BEST TEACHER

A day that began as usual nearly ended in disaster. As with every morning, I`d already chugged two cups of coffee and peeked outside to determine appropriate attire for the day. The sun was shining beautifully, birds chirping incessantly as though welcoming another gorgeous day in Paradise/aka Cedar Key. I soon began to smell a faint odor of something burning. Terrified of fire, I walked through my house inspecting every room.

There was no apparent sign of fire and definitely no smoke, so I chalked it up to one of the neighbors burning trash. I continued dressing to meet the day. You know the drill, places to go, people to see, chores to complete. Usually, I`m in a rush to leave the house, but thankfully I`d overslept and got a late start, but the smell of something burning continued growing stronger.

By this time, I was ready to leave so I grabbed my purse and headed toward the front door in hopes of discovering the source of the odor. In the time it took me to walk from the back of my to the front, my living room had become engulfed in smoke and soot. Glancing through the opening between the kitchen and living room, I discovered that my kitchen cabinet was ablaze, black smoke bellowing into the air.

Horrified, I dropped my purse and grabbed the extinguisher. Before I`d completely extinguished the fire it was apparent that my toaster was the source. It had not been used for days, simply sitting on the counter plugged into an outlet as always. I was astounded to say the least, since I`d never heard of a toaster starting a fire.

Days following the fire and cleanup, I polled at least ten people, asking if they`d heard of toasters igniting. The results were split. Five per cent knew that leaving a toaster plugged in could cause a fire while the other five per cent were unaware of the danger.

If you have small appliances such as curling irons, hair dryers, toasters, coffee makers, heating pads, electric blankets, small space heaters, laptop computers or anything else that generates heat, UNPLUG them if they are not in use and by all means, UNPLUG them before retiring and when you leave your home.

If you don`t have a fire extinguisher, smoke and/or fire detectors invest today. They`re worth every penny. Since experience is the best teacher, please learn from mine. Don`t let this happen to you! If you have further questions about fire hazards in your home, contact a member of your local Fire Department.