The Bathroom Fire

(or how to prioritize remodeling your bathroom)

I belong to a Toastmasters Group, Roving 49ers.   In this Toastmaster group we take turns hosting the meeting at member’s homes.  In July, I hosted the meeting.  Toastmasters are prompt and often early, as everyone began to arrive, and I did a last minute “light” the really cool Egyptian Blown Glass Oil Diffuser (Tea Candle on bottom / Lotus oil above) in the bathroom; then run to the dryer to get fresh hand towels.  Yep, when I went to put the hand towels up I brush it against the candle.  I  DIDN’T NOTICE and walked out of the room.  30 seconds later the Fire Alarm goes off, the high pitched, ear piercing BREEEPPP, BREEEPP….. on and on.  I look around first at the kitchen, nothing there, then look up and follow the smoke back to the bathroom. 

I stepped back into the bathroom, the hand towel is aflame, the wallpaper is on fire; the fire reaches for the ceiling.  I scream… EEEPPP!, and yell “John get the Fire Extinguisher, it’s serious!”.  I turn on the faucet, and frantically splash water on the fire. 

Les, one of the Directors of the District Toastmasters, he man that he is, came into the bathroom, reaches in and grabs the towel and dashes it into the sink.  But the wallpaper is really going by this time, so my husband comes in with the Fire Extinguisher, and says in a heroic voice, “Stand back, Les, I’ve got it”, as he hits the fire with the spray of Bi-carbonate of soda (my husband did not do like I asked and purchased this instead of a CO2 extinguisher, CO2 EVAPORATES).  Yes, I’m now hosting a party with a bathroom that smells of fire and tastes like baking soda.

After other club members helped with the cleanup, and we proceeded with the meeting and MUCH ribbing of Leticia. 

On the bright side, I now have a remodeled bathroom.  I took the incident and created a contest level Humorous Speech (2^nd in Division).  For our “White Elephant” Gifts during the club holiday party, I gave away the “bathroom remodeling kits”, since I’m no longer allowed candles in the house.  On the left is a close up of the new wallpaper and on the right a picture of the new look.