Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
Happy New Year

Saturday, August 05, 2006

FIRE! FIRE! NOT WOLF!

Thursday was pick up day for Jessi. I had a visit and lunch with mother before going to airport. After lunch I decided to take a nap in mother's room so I would be rested for the upcoming travel.

Mother turned on the TV because I can nap best with TV on. I was just about asleep when I heard a click then a ringing sound. I waited, thinking mother was changing channels or something. She didn't say anything because she did not want to disturb me.

I smelled wires burning and decided to open my eyes. The television was off, but the buzzing/ringing sound continued and mother was holding the remote trying to turn the TV off. Suddenly smoke began to billow out of the TV. I jumped up and encouraged mother to take hold of her walker and start moving out of the room. I pushed the button for a nurse and we headed out into the hall.

The nurse arrived and helped me get mother into her manual wheelchair. I went back in the room (stupid, stupid) and tried to turn off the TV. I wanted to pull the plug but it was behind the TV where the smoke was pouring out. Another nurse came and wanted to try to unplug the TV and I insisted she come out of the room. Soon maintenance arrived, sauntering down the hall thinking it was just a simple television breakdown and nothing to worry about. Then they picked up their pace when they smelled the burn.

I was wanting to pull a fire alarm, but it wasn't my place to do so. My primary concern was mother and we had her up in the lobby in a safe place. I waited with her while maintenance managed to unplug the television which stopped the smoke almost immediately. They said they had never seen such a thing occur. They carried the television out of her room and put it in a safe storage facility.

I believe it was a blessing for me to be there at that moment. If mother had been alone, I don't think she would have realized the impact of what was happening until it was too late. The staff does check on her very often, but who would know when they would have come in or when they would have smelled the smoke. I was so very frightened and when it was over mother said, "Well thank goodness you didn't have a heart attack!" LOL

Our family continues to be richly blessed.

I went on the airport to get Jessi. Elenore and David took charge of getting mother a new television. It is on the stand in her room and working well and mother has her AMC movies once again with probably no memory of our harrowing experience. Plus, they left Tikka with mother while they went shopping and that is what mother remembers most about the day......that sweet Tikka. And that also is a blessing.

This was a Zenith, large screen TV, purchased about 1999. Internet research is showing some history of Zenith TVs in the late 60's causing houses to burn down. Anyone else ever hear of this type of thing happening? We were totally surprised that a television could do this because we often leave home and leave the TV on.


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