Today I almost died in a fire.

My can was actually plastic

I had covered some of my lumber with old lumber tarps on the weekend to help keep them dry. It was a pile 1x 6 that will end up being used to build the roof arches.

I had backed the trailer into my driveway so that I could start doing the grinding that I need to do to get the welding repairs done.

As I was grinding a spark ignited one of the tarps. I do what I always do, concentrated deeply on what I was doing.

I am trying hard not to say I had my nose to the grindstone. I didn’t notice the fire. The fire was ten feet away from where I was doing the work. In the middle of the fire was a full gas can for my chainsaw. When I looked over I saw the fire the gas can was engulfed in flames. It was right against my wood work shop. If that burned my whole house would go. I would lose everything.

I reached into the middle of the flames and grabbed the gas can. Thank God it was intact. Two other empty ones didn’t fair so well. The plastic from the lumber tarp was dropping liquid flames over the 1x 6 pile. I found some water and dowsed the flames.

I am thankful that I was spared.  Had the gas can lit I would have been engulfed in flame. My house and animals were spared. There would not have been any compensation. My insurance company canceled my insurance because one side of my house has no siding. I remember explaining to them that I was putting up wood siding that it would actually burn better after I got it up.

I thought it was safe to do the grinding where I was. I was wrong. I will be more careful next time.

I remember reading about a fire retardant spray for log houses,  I will revisit that in a future post. I may use that on the out side of the Tiny House. I will be using a wood stove and there is only one way in and out.

Back to grinding I have to get the trailer ready for the welder. Take care and be safe

Safer than I was today.

Rod