Thursday, April 16, 2009

Fire In My Residence

My dorm caught fire this past Tuesday at about 6:15 p.m.

I was in the building when the fire alarm went off, and as always I thought it was a fake as I have been in so many real fire alarm situations yet none was an actual fire. I had an exam at 6:30 and was concerned with getting out of the building as well as gathering my pencils, etc. As I was leaving I heard that a guy was badly burned on the 4th floor.

Here are some pictures of fireman putting out the fire:




When I returned from my exam, there were police men, firemen, and my home was blocked by police tape. We were not allowed in. I was let known that there would be a meeting later on that night for all dorm residents. At the meeting they let us know a guy was burned badly and in critical condition. He remains in critical condition til today, Thursday.

This is what it looked like when I came home from my exam:





And some pictures of the day after:



Here are some pictures of when we were allowed to go back in for 5 minutes to grab some stuff the next day. We had to wear masks to avoid carbon monoxide inhalation:

The school has done an excellent job of coordinating hotels for us to stay as well as supporting us in every way. This was not easy for anyone, but the only true victims of this ordeal was the boy and his family.

My heart goes out for the affected boy and his family. The emotional pain of the parents and the physical pain of the boy must be unbearable. The fire exact details of how the fire was started have not been released but I know so far that in no way was the fire the boys fault. He will suffer now everyday for the rest of his life as a result of a freak accident. People will see him differently. Friends he thought he had will slowly drift away. I can just hope that adversity will make him stronger and that true friends will appear in places he never looked. I did not personally know the victim, but I more likely than not passed him in the hallway or stood behind him in line at the cafeteria. It saddens me to see how a lot of his life has been ruined before it even really began. I keep him and his family in my prayers and hope you will too.

I know we have all heard of fires and burns, but I would like to give you a real idea of the excruciating pain, suffering, and complications that come along with it.

Here is a picture of a burn victim:

If any of you have ever been burned before it was most likely very small and very painful. Now you can start to imagine the immense pain that is spread over all his body. At this stage, he is fighting off infection, shock, as well as a myriad of other possible infections.

When this happened, I thought of America's Next Top Model contestant Tahlia who was a burn victim as a child. As an adult, she still struggles with self-esteem and confidence issues that stem from her scars. However, over America's Next Top Model I saw her start to grow out of her shell and start gaining confidence in herself and her looks. She is an inspiration for any burn victims out there:


I know I have missed some things and will have to come back to this post to re-edit and maybe make another post on fire safety, but I just wanted to let you all know what is happening.

Let your loved ones know how much you truly care for them and give them a hug as you never know how long you have of them. Put aside trivial things and pursue what makes you happy in life. You are never guaranteed tomorrow. Please, please, please start living your life today. Don't let anything hold you back. And remember you're always loved.

5 comments:

Chanel said...

I'm very sorry about the accident and my heart goes out to the boy. Thaia from ANTM is a great example of someone overcoming burn accident. Great post

Unknown said...

This is such a tragedy. I'm sorry to hear about it. This is my first time to your blog. It looks really interesting...glad I came across it!

♥ Ms. Kendall ♥ said...

Omg! That is so scary!! I used to get soo annoyed by the fire drills in my dorm back in the day. They would do them at 2:30am in the middle of February.
I'm glad your school coordinated support and hotels for the dorm residents.
XoXo

Prissy said...

OMG this is eye opening. I think I may have heard this story on the news. My heart goes out to the boy and his family.

Anonymous said...

This post really touched me. I will be praying for all involved. Blessings!