The House FIre that Wasn't

Last evening we were at Albertson's doing a little grocery shopping, when my cell phone rang. It was my friend, Gina, calling with a message from a neighbor who had just driven by my house and seen "tremendous amounts of smoke pouring out of my house".


This is what I'm picturing. (This picture is not of my house, by the way!! Just in case you were worried!)

My dh, Todd, overheard me and immediately picked up his cell phone to dial 911. We left our grocery cart where it stood and RAN for the car, both of us on cell phones, dragging kids as we went. I called a neighbor across the street. Her teenage son answered. I asked him to look out his window to confirm "smoke" pouring from my home. Not that he could see. Hmmm....would you please go to our back yard and see if you see anything. He obliged me, but again, nothing that he could see. I (only slightly panicking) gave him my garage code and asked him to enter my home to see if he could see or SMELL anything unusual. Again, same answer. We are still racing towards home.



We pull up (emergency vehicles preceeding us! They are FAST!). No smoke. We enter the home. Can't smell anything. Hubby goes to the basement and I head upstairs. Nothing. We go to the backyard. No evidence of anything out of the ordinary. The fire chief is following us around curiously. None of us can find "tremendous amounts of smoke pouring out" of the house or any evidence that it was at any point. By this time, curious neighbors and passers-by are stopping to see what is going on.



We get word from a neighbor that a block south of us they were having a barbecue and the grill caught on fire. I guess that might be described as "tremendous amounts of smoke pouring out". Just not out of my yard, and certainly not my house. But, I guess, better safe than sorry. Never did get my groceries though!