House Burned Down, Lost Everything. Hubby Saved Some Of My Tools

[lightingale]

I can't believe I'm posting this a few scant weeks since I posted a photo blog about my beloved workroom. On, April 5 2013, our house was consumed by flames. Everything was destroyed. I'm cross-posting this from my blog because I think you guys can appreciate my grief over losing my leathercraft workroom. I'm not even sure why I'm posting, I think I'm still in a state of shock over this whole thing.

In this photo, my husband steps over the rubble where my workbench used to be. You can still see the granite that used to top my workbench around the level of my husband's left knee. Right now, we're both still a little in shock, and I can't help but feel that all we have to do is drive home and everything will be as it was.

The fire started very quickly. I was out grocery shopping when my husband heard a BANG and a "whoooosh" type of noise from where he was working to repair a computer upstairs. He herded the cats and the dogs down to the main floor and then the basement, and managed to get them to safety by placing the cats in a backpack, wrapping a leash through both dog's collars to better control them simultaneously, and escaped out the basement patio doors. After depositing the animals in the shed he ran back to collect our turtles (also in the basement), and on his way out dashed into my workroom (beside the turtle room) and swept everything from the top of my work bench into a bag, grabbed my laptop and fled the building to safety.

In this photo, everything my husband swept off the table into the bag was dumped into a blue bin (the bag had a hole and we didn't want to lose anything).

In this photo, we've arranged everything on the wood coffee table in my in-laws' basement. He managed to save a lot of the custom-made and hard to get cross-border items (we're Canadian, and most of the best handmade Western Leathercraft tools are made in the USA). My Barry King tools, Bearman maul, makers stamps, and custom swivel knives would have been difficult to replace in a reasonable amount of time. While this may sound like a bad Fed-Ex commercial, he also managed to save the last new collar I had almost completed (also on the bench). All it needs is for its hardware to be sewn on. With an order to CraftJapan for new sewing tools and thread, I should still be able to send this one out, even if it won't quite arrive on time.

I didn't cry until last night when I went through what he managed to save from the fire. I was so HAPPY that he saved these, as silly as it sounds. I had so many more tools, collections of dyes, and other supplies that were lost, but with the pieces he saved I have a great base with which to rebuild my workroom. It will be a long journey but I'm trying to stay positive. We are safe, our pets are safe, and that's all that really matters, isn't it?

Thanks for listening.

[TwinOaks]

Very sorry to hear of your loss, but glad to hear that you and your husband survived this. It could have been so much worse, and "things" can be replaced. I can understand that there were many memories there, and wish you the best in rebuilding your home to match you memories.

[Tree Reaper]

That's a terrible thing to cope with, you will recover in time.

I hope you had insurance to cover most if not all of the damage.

Deal with it the best you can and try not to let it consume you too, your family will over come this.

Kevin.

[Ferg]

Have never experienced a fire loss. I can only imagine how terrible it is to lose your home and so many of your personal items that some folks wouldn't even consider.

This community will do what has to be done to help you, just let us know.

ferg

[rosiart]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Thank God that both you and your hubby are safe and that he was able to save your furbabies too.

[Cyberthrasher]

We are safe, our pets are safe, and that's all that really matters, isn't it?

Thanks for listening.

That's the ONLY thing that matters. You got the kids saved, you and your husband are safe, and life goes on.

Glad to see that he saved the most important stuff. But, it also kind of makes me wonder what he let go in order to save your work. That's a great husband you have there!!

We're all here for you. I won't speak for everyone, but I'll help anyway I can. Looks like you're still better set then I am for tools, but there may be some stragglers around there. Just let us know.

[electrathon]

I experienced a fire loss in my shop a few years back, it was no where near as destroyed as what you have experienced. Reading through your story brought memories flooding back (I have always refered to the shop as the "happy place").

I will add you and your family to my prayers. It will take time for the wounds to heal. The comfort I see in what you said is that there are family members in your area that you have the ability to lean on for suport.

Aaron

[BearMan]

My goodness,,, I'm sooo sorry for your loss! I don't know about anybody else here,,, but if you can come up with a list of the kinds of tools you lost, I may have a couple extra tools sitting around that I'm not using. I'm just glad that everybody got out Ok. Take Care,,, Ed

[Fowlingpiece]

Sorry for your loss. The blessing is that the most important assets were saved ( the both of you).

[DoubleC]

I can't even imagine what this must feel like. Please let us know how we can help. Cheryl

[YOHOHO]

This makes me very sad. Very sorry for your loss. I can only imagine the shock involved with the destruction fire brings.

But...I am happy to hear everyone got out safely! My thoughts and prayers are you with you and your family as you recover.

[raysouth]

My wife and I have you in our prayers and so pleased to hear of the care and kindness that your husband displayed. Thank you for sharing this tragic event with all of us on the site and as others have said, we are here for you.

May your future be brighter in the days ahead.

God Bless.

Ray and Mimi

[David8386]

Sorry for your loss, take the time to grieve over it, it is normal. Remember how much worse it could have been and things will get better. I am sure there will be a lot of people praying for you.

David

[WScott]

So sorry to hear about your loss, thank goodness no lives were involved. Your husband was very brave to do what he did.

I am always paranoid I will leave the heater on in my shop or something will short out...... I do not want to test my house insurance out.

I hope you had photos of your shop and equipment for insurance claims.

What was the cause of the fire??

Best wishes, Scott

[pault]

Sorry to hear about that. I hope all goes well for you from here on. Let us know what can do to help.

Paul

[WinterBear]

Oh geeze. What do you need and can I help? Maybe I've got something I can send you. I can't send dye cross-border, but maybe I've got something else you can use?

[LNLeather]

OMG - That must have been frightening... So Good to hear that everyone, pets and all got out safely.

Quick thinking by your hubby to get what he could... Don't be shy if there is something we might

be able to help with... I am sure there are many here, myself included, that would be happy to help

replace some needed things... I bet we all have a few duplicate things that might be helpful...

Take care and hug that hubby of yours!

[JJs Leatherworks]

Unlike many others that have passed on their well wishes, I can totally relate, as I too have experienced complete loss of leather tools/shop in a house fire, in which nothing was saved, but no lives (human) were lost - 1979.

Although many items can be easily replaced, things like photogaphs, personal items like diplomas and awards and years of accumulated handmade leather projects including first saddle were lost and cannot be replaced. We didn't have insurance at the time, so replacing all the tools I had acquired since starting the hobby as a pre-teen was not an option I even considered.

It took about fifteen years, and following back surgery (almost twenty years ago) while recovering, some of my family wanted to find something for me to do to pass the time - they bought me a Tandy basic starter set - Ugh, what was I supposed to do with seven basic tools and a wooden mallet???

But, that wet my desire to get back into leatherwork, and at first chance I was buying tools, rolls of leather, finishes, ....., and continue to add to my collection to this day.

Bottom line,you and your family are safe, keep your chin up, life goes on, and leatherwork is one of the best hobbies going - I know I am speaking to the converted here - but at first opportunity, I am sure you too will be replacing your collection that was lost, and then adding more.

Wishing you all the best and looking forward to postings of newly completed projects.

JJ

Edited April 8, 2013 by JJs Leatherworks

[Dwight]

Our prayers go up for you. Honestly never been there, don't want to ever go there.

But it is REALLY heartening to see the positive attitude, . . .

An old poster we used to have showed an airplane seeming to struggle as it left the runway. The message on the poster said: "Your attitude determines your altitude". Keeping a good attitude will get you back up.

Keep us on your "informed" list as you recover, . . and let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

May God bless,

Dwight

[JLSleather]

I can empathize. We had a fire in 1993 (and a break-in in 2005). It sucks, I know, but the 'toys' can be replaced. I'd like to have back the photos of some of the old work, but we had copies of the old pictures of the babies (in another location). Everyone here was safe both times, we just lost 'stuff'. In the end, it does give some perspective -- reminder that it's just 'stuff'. The wife goes on about how much she loves our current house, but honestly it looks like some bricks and some sticks to me -- just not the real issue. I know it sucks, and I'm not trying to make light of it.

Naked I came into this world ...

My wife says that as a conversationalist, I'm a pretty fair leatherworker. Just know that I meant well

[lightingale]

Thank you guys for your kind words!

I'm surprised how many of you have come forth with similar stories. I thought house fires were rare, but it seems to have affected a lot of people.

It's still early, but I think our insurance will cover all or most of my lost leather stuff. I have most of the essentials, and when insurance money comes in I'm going to beg Tandy to sell me the same items I bought from them previously for the same prices I collected them at over the last year. Another heartening thing, is that all the folks who had open orders on etsy opted to wait an extra couple of weeks for their dog collars/leashes instead of accepting full refunds. I can't wait to get started on their projects.

I'm telling everyone I know that you should take a video camera around your house once a year and get clear images of everything you own. Store it somewhere else. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people, and you need to be able to prove your possessions to your insurance. You always think bad things only happen to OTHER people, but no one is immune! I was lucky that I blogged about my workroom not long before the fire, so I can prove I owned most of the things I claim for my hobby, at least. Not so for most of the rest of the house. We're limited to photos I took in the house of the puppies growing up, for the most part, and those were only taken in the main living areas.

We realize that we're lucky. If we'd lost each other or one of our fur kids... I can't even think about it.

Edited April 11, 2013 by lightingale

[mrdabeetle]

My dad lost all of his tools, hardware, everything in a fire. He had lots of tools that were discontinued before I was born and a few one of a kind tools. He has only recently been able to find some replacements for the rare stuff. I lost all of the artwork (sketches and paintings) that I had done from high school to college except for a few that were hung in my mother's office at her work. You will get past this. It may be hard, but family and friends are with you.

[immiketoo]

As a first responder, I see this regularly, and after 19 years, it NEVER gets easy. I try and be supportive and explain that it's just stuff, but it so much more than that. It's people's entire lives. Your husband is an amazing man. Trips for the animals and tools... Awesome. I wish you the best and I hope you can get your life back to normal soon.

Mike

[wolfe9]

Very sorry to hear about what happened but glad to hear everyone is ok , good luck with everything .

[WScott]

hmm, my insurance company called Friday and said our house insurance is suspended pending removal of knob and tube wiring.

Nice