The roof..the roof...the roof is on fire

It was just an ordinary Thursday. We'd had a full day of swim class, sidewalk chalk drawing, finger painting, tummy time in the backyard with Liam, and a playdate at Crazy Critters (our favorite indoor playspace). Matt was at class, and the evening was unfolding as usual...

5:30pm - Liam happily gazed at the bird mobile on his cradle swing. Julia sat at the kitchen table eating her dinner and periodically pointing out to me that I need to wash the windows (she's a cleaning critic these days).

6:00pm - Put both kids in the bath. First time trying to bathe them simultaneously, and it was going well. Julia was showing Liam all of her bath toys. Liam was smiling and cooing at Julia (he is so responsive to her).

6:15pm - Took Liam out of the tub and let him kick around on a towel while Julia played some more.

6:20pm - Started trying to convince Julia that it was time to get out of the bath. Loud no, no, no's and splashing ensued. Started to let out the bath water. Thought I heard a smoke alarm going off but assumed it was the neighbors.

6:21pm - Just trying to grab a wet, squirming Julia when the alarm sounds got twice as loud as a second smoke alarm joined the first. ***PANIC*** Realized, those were our smoke alarms going off. And here I lost track of time....

Realizing I couldn't leave Julia alone in the bath or with Liam (thank goodness Liam's little enough to stay where you put him!), I picked up wet, naked Julia (who had stopped squirming the second she too heard the alarms going off) and went racing into the hallway. Sirens blaring. And ***MORE PANIC*** some smoke coming from the kitchen, thick black smoke from just above my head all the way to the ceiling. Thankfully, no flames though.

Trying to make it all somehow into a fun adventure, I explained (in a calm panic) to Julia that we needed to get away from the smoke. Fortunately, the children's rooms are at the other end of the house from the kitchen, so I raced us all into Liam's room and did the world's fastest diapering. I got Liam dressed but I'd just washed all of Julia's warm PJ's and they were in the laundry basket in our room still (again far away from the kitchen, thankfully), so poor Julia is shivering (it's fall here, remember) as we all head to our bedroom. Meanwhile, I'm trying madly to open windows and doors along the way.

Kids dressed, we went straight outside. We'd played out there a lot during the day, and I hadn't had a chance to clean up yet, so Liam's bouncy seat was out there, along with a picnic blanket and some of Julia's toys and books (for once it paid off to not be on top of the housework). Thank you, open plan houses....our bedroom, living room, and kitchen all open onto the backyard, so I was able to keep an eye on Julia and Liam and still go back in to try to open up the rest of the house and make sure no appliances were on (nothing was...I didn't know what had caused the fire/smoke). Once the windows and doors had all be opened and all the fans were on full blast, the sirens went off and I breathed a small sigh of relief that the worst was over.

I'd been trying to call and text Matt since we went outside, but his phone was off completely so I couldn't get through. I called my good friend Debbie who lives about 5 minutes away and told her what was going on. Her husband, Steve, was meant to be out late for a business dinner, but he just happened to walk in while I was on the phone with her. I was pretty sure we were in the clear but still a bit concerned so being amazing friends, he got right back in the car and came over to check things out. Julia was happily playing outside. Liam had fallen asleep in the bouncy seat, so Steve & I ventured into the kitchen.

The smoke had mostly cleared to reveal blackened cabinets & range hood all above and around the stove. I had used one of the burners at suppertime and was scared at first that I'd left something on, but everything was turned off. We have an old electric stove (that I hate) that takes ages to cool off after a use, so often one burner is still warm an hour or two after it's been turned off, but when we went to the stove, three of the four burners were not just warm but hot. And covering most of the kitchen surfaces was a dusting of ash. We looked all around but couldn't figure out what had burned. It didn't seem to be anything short-circuiting at least. Best guess from the smell was that it was something plastic, maybe something that had blown or been knocked onto the stove while that burner was still hot. Whatever it was had burned off completely, and judging from the blackened area around the stove there must have been some pretty sizeable flames at one point.

Anyway...more time passed and I decided Julia's and Liam's rooms were safe with the windows and doors still opened, so both children went to bed and I started the cleaning battle against smoke damage. Still not winning that one...

When Matt got home my chest was feeling really tight and my throat was sore from the smoke I'd inhaled along the way. Between that and paranoia over the children's exposure, we decided to call the doctor to get checked out. Gotta love a country that still has doctors who make house calls!! An older Indian doctor came and was able to listen to give us the once over, listening for any breathing difficulties (didn't even have to wake up either child!). He had a very thick accent and the world's most nonchalant way of delivering his medical opinion. It went something like this: "All is fine. Just some mild carbon monoxide poisoning. Burning paper not much to worry about. Burning plastic though...many toxic fumes. You probably inhale that some. No worries. You inhale too much, it goes to the brain and you pass out. Then we worry. But you're in the clear now. All fine."

And thankfully, we are all fine! I think the kitchen cupboards might even make it.