the day...my house burnt down?

Erm. last weekend is probably the most..eventful weekend of my life. My house caught fire. I dont know how I should blog this but yeah, my family in penang are now basically homeless. I came back to JB sunday morning cos I had a test yesterday (monday). Well I've been repeating the same story all over and over again so I thought maybe blogging about it will be easier. (no I did not take any pictures when the fire happened =P) but i guess this is all pretty destined. I was supposed to go back JB on saturday morning but I was delayed, thus changing the plan to Sunday morning instead..so happens that the fire happened on Saturday night itself.

Oh before I start my story..I'm using a new CPU now. My baby, the supercomputer has met his untimely demise that very fateful nite. He became a BBQ CPU d.. =( =( sad sad..

Last Saturday (24th Feb 2007)...
It was about 9.30pm at night. Xiao Yi, Liang and I were downstairs playing mahjong and everyone was pretty much in a good mood. Mom was behind chatting with Ah Ma and they were preparing for 'Thnee Kong Seh' (Jade Emperor Festival). My cousins are upstairs in their rooms and Dad was in his room. Then my cousin Sean walked over telling us that Terry's room is emitting smoke. Btw, Terry is a friend living at our house. At 1st we didn't really pay attention to her since we tengah ghairah bermahjong, so we thought maybe Terry was smoking or something in his room. Then suddenly everything was pretty chaotic. We heard 2nd Uncle shouting that Terry's room is on fire. We still thought it's not so serious but we abandoned our game. Then I heard Mom screaming for us to get out and the nest thing we know the electrical supply were cut off. I saw Dad running upstairs with a fire extinguisher and I followed suit. Btw, our house is this half concrete-half wooden ancestral house. Basically it is a double storey semi-detached house and there is the left and right wing. The downstairs of the left wing is converted into a coffee shop..and at that time we were playing mahjong at the living room on the right wing. The fire started at Terry's room in the left wing. There are a total of 9 rooms in the house, 8 upstairs.

Back to the story...When I got upstairs, I can see that the ceiling is burning from Terry's room. Terry was not at home at that time and he locked the room. I think 2nd uncle tried to knock down the door of his room so that they could put out the fire. But somehow the door was too solid. Then Dad tried to use the extinguisher but to no avail. Me, trying to be heroic ran downstairs and start filling up water in buckets. I shouted for Liang and my aunt to help filling up the water also. I carried the buckets up. It was in the dark so it was quite hard and slippery. Dad sloshed the water at the burning walls. He stood at the right wing's hallway nia..the left wing was the one burning. I passed the buckets that my aunts passed to me halfway. 4-kim (4th uncle's wife) wanted to rush into her room to get her documents but I told her not too as it was too dangerous. So she just passed me water buckets. After 10 buckets or so, the left wing was burning pretty badly, Dad shouted us all to get out d as the fire is too heaty.

We ran out barefooted and at that time my bagpack was downstairs (I was packed and about to go Taiping d) so I carried them to outside. I got back the house again and grabbed my handphone and wallet in the living room, also my brother's hp and wallet. Our house is half coffee shop, so there were about 10 stalls and each stalls have their gas tanks. Neighbours and passersby rushed over to help drag the gas tanks lest explosions may occur if the fire is too bad. Some kept asking me whether there are still anybody in the house, I told them all got out d (I assume nia, cos we had about 10mins to run out)...I called 991, but the fella said fire engine has been dispatched d..I think they had many many many calls as most of my family and neighbours have also called. Some neighbours rush over with water pipes but the pressure was too low, so it was in futile attempt. Our house is the corner house, so the next door neighbour (next to the right wing) prolly were panicky also, but they have quite a big water tank so they used their water pipes to at least wet the other side of the house.

The fire engines were pretty late though. It took them about 20mins to arrive. At that time, the fire was really really huge and we could see the electrical cables (from Terry's room) exploding (something like fireworks display), which is a catalyst that hastened the spread of the fire to the other parts of the house. I think most of the Jalan Baru Batu Maung occupants were there..about 200-300 at least gathered. Some were taking pictures, mostly were busy calling their whoever to tell about the fire, while me and Xiao Yi were pretty...hmmm. Shocked would be the word. It seemed so unreal at that time..We felt so helpless as there was nothing we could do as we see our house go up in flames.

As the firemen ran to the water pipe thing, the left wing was almost done burning.The window hinges were falling, walls were collapsing and the fire was spreading to the right wing's rooftop. The small fire engine was not able to put out the fire, and later came 2 more bigger fire engines came. A police car and an ambulance came also..and the area around my house was sealed to ensure that nobody got too close to the fire. I think they took 20-30 mins to put out the fire. When I texted Sanyeong, David and PTC, SY immediately called back to scold me cos she didn't believe.. Cis.. I was like, "serious la,the fire is still burning and the firemen are trying hard to put out the fire". she went speechless..but for me also I dont know how to react la if someone texted me "My house is on fire. Cham". But the whole scenario was very exciting and fascinating. Personally I dont think any of us witnessed a burning house before la. It would have been better if it wasn't our house though =(

So finally the extent of the damage. The left wing totally does not exist anymore (4 rooms--my 5th uncle's, Terry's, cousin's and the maid's) and the right wing (2nd uncle, cousin, me and my Xiaoyi share a room, and my 4th uncle's family) is 80% destroyed. The reason it is not completely destroyed is probably because the neighbour kept using the hose to wet that side of our house and the firemen managed to put it out just in time. So the important documents are still okay. So.....my house has transformed from a double storey's to a single storey's. Most of the possessions are destroyed cos those that weren't burnt are totally drenched with water also. I guess that means that all the electrical appliances byebye d..When the hooha was over, we went into the house to salvage the important documents..which are still ok. But my poor 5th uncle really kesian la, cos he repairs computers in his room so there were many valuables in his room (which is completely gone). As for me..i lost my CPU, all my clothes (cos my clothes cabinet in the left wing) and all my stuffs from secondary school and primary sch. =( =(

I wanted to help stay and clean up but I had to come back for my test on monday also..and Dad says there isnt place to stay in the 1st place so I would only make trouble..Which explains why I'm blogging here now. Grandpa is pretty calm about the whole thing, Grandma cried buckets...40 years d wor the house..sure sayang la..me and Xiao Yi could still laugh over it..maybe realisation hasn't really hit yet lo..When the bill comes then sure no more funny d..Kopitiam will cease operation for the moment..Don't think business can be dijalankan in this state..

For me, personally, it's sad that most possessions were destroyed but I'm feeling more grateful and thankful instead that we're all alive and ok. Had the fire started at 4am instead of 9.30pm, I think all of us would have become BBQ pork d..Most of us in the family sleep like dead logs, so based on how fast the fire spread..we daren't even imagine the consequences had it happened at midnight. So we're all very lucky instead of suei..and there's still half of the house left..there is nothing that we can complain about, but count our lucky stars instead right?..I heard Xiao Yi says the losses amount to almost 500k..wow. I guess there were many kopitiam goods that we stocked up and the appliances (almost every room has an aircond and TV in it) and also the money to rebuild the house is quite costly..Me still a student..so can't help la..But the house..not insured lo. Also don't know why..old house kua...So I guess that's it la about the most eventful nite of my life...

p/s:Goodbye CPU means goodbye FYP la..so have to restart this semester's things. Lucky I did back up last sem's stuffs..ahbo.. -_-" yea..thanks to everyone who called and texted..and SY, PTC, leeting, corrine that dropped by that night. I'm really ok ar..go console my ahma instead la..=)