Fire Safety: Hose in the Know?

I was deep asleep and in the middle of a beautiful dream about a wonderful place when I suddenly got jolted out of it by a neighbor’s panic scream. It was like yanking a feeding bottle or pacifier out from a peacefully slumbering baby. I immediately sat up and the sudden movement caused a bit of wooziness. I had to pause and take a deep breath to steady my nerves and focus my vision. Then the scream came again and I heard other neighbors rushing towards the source of the screams. It came from my next door neighbor and she was frantically blurting out “Fire!” and “Help!” in flurry. I quickly dressed and rushed out to see what I can do.

I can see a faint blaze and smoke from the back end of the house. Some neighbors where already chucking buckets of water. I went inside her front yard to join a couple more guys who were hauling buckets in and out of the front door. I surveyed the yard. Nothing much I can use. My eyes scanned the car port and it quickly landed upon a snake-like thing coiled into a heap. Fire hose Is what immediately came into mind. It wasn’t exactly a fire hose. It was just a regular sized garden hose that nobody noticed.

So I grabbed one of the other guys and pointed the hose to him. He saw it and immediately went about connecting it to the faucet. Then I saw a jet sprayer, an attachment that I normally see in TV commercials. It looks like a gun but it is used to increase water velocity as it gushes out of it. Armed with the hose, we went to where the fire was and chanced upon the hysterical owner. I immediately hugged her and asked her to calm down and asked what started the fire.

She said she thinks that the gas range was left open and that a spark started somewhere. I told her to wiper her hands dry and asked another neighbor to accompany her to turn off the power box. They went and my other neighbor and I were left. The fire had gotten to a nice steady blaze and is quickly eating the stack of newspapers as well as the window curtain. It was also turning some of the wood red. With the makeshift fire hose in hand, I aimed the nozzle at the base of the fire and let out a concentrated stream of water.

The battle between fire and man has now begun. One of the other neighbors joined us and he used one of his cement sacks and heaved heaps of cement on whatever flaming material he can throw at. Soon, the flames were smothered one spot a time until all was put out. When everything was settled and we were victorious, I asked them why they didn’t use the garden hose. They simply said they thought it wouldn’t be of help since the water force was weak.

I guess they never noticed the jet spray nozzle.