Today deserves a swear word...actually a lot of them.
Work is crazy, fun, unpredictable, loud, out of control and so many other things. But I never thought it could be scary until today. The school is a Mon-Fri business and besides that obvious benefit for its employees, it really saved a lot of grief this weekend. There are two buildings, one for infants and toddlers (where I work) and one for preschoolers. Last night the infant-toddler building started on fire and is completely ruined inside now. Yeah, fire! Apparently something in the attic caught and smoldered for about an hour before bursting into flames and alerting someone. Seven fire trucks showed up to put it out and they had a hard time because of the way the roof was built so they took chain saws to the roof in order to let the heat out. That means that the entire inside of the building is gone because everything hot from the roof and ceiling fell down on the inside. It is difficult to see the amount of damage from the outside because the building walls on the outside are brick and cinder block so it is still standing. But the inside is like a nightmare. I have never experienced any kind of destruction like that. It is very scary. A bunch of the teachers showed up to work today cleaning and trying to salvage stuff. Here is some idea what we lost...40 kids worth of diapers and wipes, formula, bottles, blankets, food, dishes, clothes, bibs, etc
5 high chairs
4 rocking chairs
3 changing tables
3 saucers for the infants
16 cribs that cost $500 each
a stroller worth $600
a climber worth $800
3 refridgerators
washer and dryer
2 vacuums
2 microwaves
tons of toys, stuffed animals, art supplies
pictures of the kids
shelves, sleeping cots, cupboards, play kitchens
you get the idea, a lot of stuff
Seriously devastating. Another lady and I spent almost all day dragging stuff out of the building to be cleaned or moved around back. We wanted the front of the building to look okay for Monday morning when all of the kids show back up. I am seriously afraid that I will have nightmares after that. It was so depressing to see all of the loss. And stressful because now we have to figure out where to put 40 kids without all of the stuff that we need like diapers and cribs. We had to call all of the parents early this morning because it was all over the news last night and all day today as well as in the paper. So obviously they were all freaking out wanting to know what was going on too. I had to do some of the calling as well. Some of the parents were very nice about and others weren't. But I would be nervous if I were a parent too. Because it immediately comes to mind that if the fire has started the day before, 40 kids would have been in the building. 40 kids under the age of three! Now I am absolutely exhausted, have a horrible headache that won't go away probably from inhaling those nasty fumes all day, and have to be back at work by 7 am at the new building for kids who are moving to that location. And I don't think that I will be able to sleep. Here are some pictures.
This is what the floor looks like, debris and several inches of water.
Our sad looking charred diapers.
The toddler room didn't get as much of the fire but still had tons of damage.
The building from the outside facing the road.
posted by Erin @ 7:35 PM
4 Comments:
That is crazy. When I was little I used to have nightmares about the house catching on fire while we were sleeping. Fire is scary. I'm really glad the kids weren't there. Hopefully insurance will cover the loss.
That is horrible. i am really glad there was no one in the building.
wow. you never think it could happen where you live, work, shop... but it does. i can only imagine how devestating it has been for you. i hope everything works out alright for the business. as a parent, i know that if it were my child, i'd be enrolling her into a different preschool.
you need a good steak and a beer. wish i could make it for ya!
I am gald you are safe. You should call me, I get off work at 6.
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