when our house almost caught fire...

On this late Friday night, as I was walking home from work, I can't help but hear the silence that envelopes the streets of our subdivision. It was deafening, and definitely peaceful than the chaos that woke me up this morning.

A big fire was already raging right at the back of our house, and I had no clue. In fact, I was somewhat pissed at the noise that roused me from a mere 5-hour sleep. But something told me I need to get up and see what was happening. The first thing that came to my sleepy head was "Could there be a fire?", and I was hoping I'd find something less frightening than that.

It was a little past 7am. There it was, licking the early morning air. Right across our house, our neighbors were already running like headless chickens trying to carry as many items they can save. Yet I was there dumbstruck. When unbelievable things like this happen, I freeze for a couple of seconds, then I move. First things first: I need to call my mom. So I ran back to the house, straight to my room and grabbed my mobile to start dialing. In my other hand was the landline as I called Francis. At this point, I still hadn't realize the horror of what was happening, until, in the middle of dialing phone numbers, I heard an explosion. Then it hit me: since the fire was just at the back of our house, with a half-done firewall as the only protection we have, debris on fire could very well fall on our roof and consume the house in minutes. I was screaming on my mobile--screaming for my mom to please hurry and pick up and tell me what to do. Three, four, seven rings. No answer. Then Francis was on the other line, and by this time, I was in hysterics, finally realizing that I am utterly helpless in this situation. So helpless I was screaming and crying and panicking like I never had.

Yet I had to try and pull myself together--salvage whatever rational thinking was left. I remembered Mommy firmly reminding us years ago that in case a fire breaks out, we are to first save this one important brown hand bag that contains all important documents. Adrenaline rush made me run as fast as I could to my Mom's room, reached for that precious bag and handed it to one of my aunts who was outside waiting for me. Our other relatives and neighbors were telling me to secure the dogs so they could go inside our house and bring out things that needed saving. But my two dogs were both agitated by the commotion around them, and I didn't know how to secure them or where to hide them.

Ginger just gave birth to five pups.
I need to save my dogs.
I need to hide them some place in the house so I can let the people in and help me bring out our appliances.
I'm worried that they might bite anyone who gets inside the house.
I need to save the pups, but was also worried that Ginger might attack me.
I need to contact my mom.
I need to save our things.
I need the fire to stop.
Oh Lord, help please.

I think that for a number of minutes, I was just running in and out of the house like a madwoman who had no idea what to do. What can I save? Rushing back to my room, I frantically grabbed my camera bag, laptop and the bag I used the previous night. Handed them over to my aunt. Went back to the house again. Clapton followed me and I had to shoo him outside. I can't let him get trapped inside our house in case the situation gets worse. I was standing, running, looking around for things to save. My aunt was screaming at me to get out of the house.

I've never felt so helpless in my life.

When I finally rushed out, she dragged me to their place, which is a few blocks aways from ours. I was still trying to reach my mom. Still, there was no answer. Their office phone just kept ringing like her mobile. Then I decided to call Francis again, and was told that he already left to go to our place. Handing my phone to my cousin Charmaine, I felt my chest was about to explode. I was a few blocks away from our abandoned house. I abandoned our house without saving anything except for the things I was able to carry. Finally, my cousin was able to reach my mom, and I had to grab the phone from her so I can tell my mom to please come home now because there's a fire. And as I was looking at our place from my aunt's veranda, I could not help but breakdown, sobbing. Was I to just stand there and watch our house burn to ashes?

My aunt wouldn't let me go back. Why wouldn't she let me go back? Is our house already on fire? I need to save my dogs! I need to save whatever I can!

But I just stood there, shaking and almost blacking out. I had to be forced to sit down while I was dialing my sister's number. I never took my eyes away from our house, and I was somehow relieved to see the firefighters on top of our roof hosing down the flames. My sister picked up, and I told her what was happening in between sobs.

My aunt, my cousin, and this very kind old lady were all telling me to calm down, the fire's now under control. Loud firetruck alarms could be heard from all directions, and that's when I knew God answered my pleas.

Minutes after that went by in a whirl. I only remember going back to our house to check if there was anything amiss inside. It was like reclaiming something you almost lost. And when I touched the windows that were inches away from the fire, with only an unfinished wall in between them, I was shocked to feel they were quite hot. The fire was that close to consuming a home we've lived in for more than two decades now. Losing it not only means losing all the material possessions we have. It's like watching this big, yellow monster gobbling up all precious memories I have ever since I was four years old. And I think memories are more important than a TV set or a component or a DVD player.

Francis arrived, and my aunt made us stay at their place while we waited for my mom. Ten minutes or so elapsed, I saw my mom in front of our house, and I ran. She told me she sprained her right ankle trying to get home as fast as she could. I worried about her, that's why when I saw that the situation was already in control, I called her again to tell her to calm down and be careful on her way home. Hearing her cracking voice was enough to make my knees shake. I told her she needs to relax, that our place is safe now. Knowing she has a heart problem, I can't let her panic. Nothing compares to the sign of relief on my mom's face when she saw our house still standing like it should, and not a pile of black coals.

Thankful that we still have a house slightly scathed by the raging fire (our water pipe leaked because of the heat), we can't help but also feel sorry for one of our relatives, my mom's cousin and his family--their house was badly damaged. Our neighbor's roof, meanwhile, was turned to ashes. We also learned that five houses burned down. All these happened a few days before Christmas.

Those excruciating minutes all seem like forever now. That terrifying moment in my life now seems like a very bad dream floating in the horizon. It's a nightmare that anyone would want to wake up from. And I praise God for shaking me back from such a horrific dream. Indeed, He is our Saviour.

P.S.
Please utter a word of prayer to those who became victims of this tragedy.