Saved by the Light {Fire}

frayed wire on space heater; burnt hole in brand new carpet

Zac's midnight studying adventure:

Zac's new carpet took a hit last night, around 12:30AM, while the rest of us sleeping soundly, and Zac was up late working on his lab report for biology. He heard crackling, buzzing...saw bright orange sparks, like a welding torch...smelled the toxic smoke...

FIRE!

Zac jumped up and yanked the cord out of the wall. He checked the hole in his carpet with his finger to be sure it wasn't still burning. (The logic!) Then he debated whether or not to wake us up with the bad news, and opted to do so:

"I woke mom and dad up and told them that my carpet was on fire. They were both half asleep and wanted to know if it was still burning."

Oddly reminiscent of another time when Zachary alerted me of a fire in the house in a similarly low-key manner; this kid just didn't come installed with an urgent button.

Zac's 'moral of the story':

"If you heat your room, it will end up at 25 degrees."

Zac slept with his window wide open to air out the toxic fumes.  

Not a very good night's sleep needless to say, for any of us!

Fine print:

We never get new carpet.

This is the one new carpet we have purchased since the playroom carpet was burned when a neighbor boy (snake-sitting while we were away) left the reptile's heating light on the carpet which caught fire.  

Luckily his sister came a few hours later to let the dog out and the billowing smoke alerted her to the danger, which she RAN to report to her mother across the street!

It's OK to run for help when there's a fire.

If you don't run, at least walk quickly!