My House Partially Burned Down – Here’s What I’ve Learned

You may have noticed that I’ve been away for about a month, or not, I mustn’t overestimate my own importance. Anyway, the reason was because my bedroom upstairs caught fire due to an ancient window fan. Luckily, the downstairs was spared, but despite my efforts to crawl through the smoke, I lost several of my cats (all of the dogs were downstairs and safely evacuated!). Pretty much all of my possessions that I had up there were also either destroyed or damaged by the fire or smoke.

Despite the ongoing grief (if my cats hadn’t passed, it would be a different story), I have learned some valuable lessons. Granted, these are things we all know, but it takes a catastrophe to remind you of them and bring them to the forefront of your mind, as they too often sit in a dusty corner, visible but easily overlooked.

Be Grateful for Everyone and Everything in Your Life

There have been many deaths in my family recently. Several years after graduating high school, my great-grandmother passed, followed a couple of years later by my grandmother (the best friend I ever had). My cousin died by suicide a few years after that with my uncle close behind due to the effects of alcoholism. Four years later, my own father died from a massive heart attack at the age of 56.

I lost three dogs as well as a baby goat I was caring for, having been rejected by his mother (possibly due to health problems, as many animal mothers will reject babies they instinctively know are ill), all of which were just as hard as losing human family members, sometimes more difficult.

Of all people, I wouldn’t think that I would need a reminder to be grateful, yet here I am, learning once again that Fate, or chance, can snatch away what you hold dear. Be grateful for what you have because you just never know.

Good Insurance Goes a Long Way

While some are flabbergasted that I’m not getting my house completely rebuilt, as the main floor and basement were savaged by water damage, I’m very thankful that the insurance company is willing to replace anything that I lost and that the restoration company thinks needs replaced. I’m trying my best to live in the house in the meantime, even if that means it was only safe to restore electricity to a couple of rooms, because my dogs absolutely will not leave, so my insurance company is doing its best to make sure that’s possible.

The hardest thing is sorting through the wreckage. Most of my possessions wound up buried under piles of insulation and debris from where the firefighters tore out the paneling and broke through the ceiling to the attic, where the fire had spread first. As such, it’s impossible to find every last thing, and I’m a horrible pack rack to begin with. Luckily, the adjuster said he was only worried about pictures regarding items more than $500, and he understood if it was hard to get photos to document the loss.

Life Without Electricity Sucks!

Writing articles is difficult, as it’s a process of charging my laptop (which I had to replace due to water damage) then finding a table where I can write. That works for about an hour and then I have to recharge it. Most of the house is dark once the sun goes down, and my TV and game consoles are running through the power of extension cords. Thankfully, I have electricity in the bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room, so that’s a plus.

Dealing with Restoration Companies is a Pain

Someone remarked, “It would’ve been easier if the whole house had burned down rather than deal with trying to repair a badly damaged house,” and part of me agrees. I mean, I don’t want to have to catalog the entire main floor as well, but it can be hard to get workers going. Everything is stopped right now because there may have been asbestos in my room (the house is over 100 years old), there’s mold beneath the floors and ceiling tiles now, and it would be nice to have things normal by Halloween or Thanksgiving if only the demolition crew would finish up.

So much work needs to be done, and I wish they’d focus on the main floor first, as we can live without the second floor and attic. Sure, I’m sleeping on the couch, but I can cook and wash up. I would prioritize the area I’m still living in before working on the upstairs.

On top of all of this, I’m supposed to have major surgery on my hip and could be laid up for a long time. It would be nice to have a house during this time period!

Anyone Ever Gone Through This?

If you’ve gone through something similar, I’m so sorry. This is truly disastrous and the loss is indescribable. However, if you’re willing to share your experience, please do so in the comments. If you have any advice, I’m definitely open to it as well!