They Say a Fire is Worth Three Moves...
Dec. 26th, 2007 05:05 pm...But they'd be wrong. I know this because I just learned my cousin RJ just lost the house he was renting to a fire. It happened so fast that he managed to get out of the house with the clothes on his back. He had time for neither his shoes or his cats (which perished in the fire. Poor kitties).
Now RJ and I are not close - which is par for the course with my relatives - I really don't see even the closest of them more then about twice a year.
My aunt had a bit to say about it. First, the shock of seeing the fire on the TV as it happened and realizing it was her son's house. She didn't even know if he had died in the fire until he anaged to call her around one in the morning.
The cause of the fire turned out to be careless smoking by one of the other house mates. Seems his girlfriend didn't like him smoking, so he did it on the sly - disposing of the butts in the trash. Good thinking! Now everyone knows you're a dumbass!
Red Cross put him up in a hotel for a week and gave him a gift card to buy a set of clothes. he did this and left it in the room. However, it seems that the Red Cross can only put you up for a week. Afterwards another agency takes over. The hotel didn't get the message though and locked him out of his room. Fine, they fixed that quickly enough when they saw that he was still paid up (just by someone else) and let him back into his room. However the maids "threw out" his brand new clothing.
Just the sort of kick to the nuts you need after losing everything in a fire eh?
Anyway, he's got most of his basics back now and he's couch surfing at his dad's until he can get a place to live. I'm building him a computer so he can at least do some web-surfing.
I have a friend, Eeyore, who I've always joked needed a fire (his house is a sty and well on it's way to being an example of Compulsive Hoarding). I hereby take the joke back.
Now RJ and I are not close - which is par for the course with my relatives - I really don't see even the closest of them more then about twice a year.
My aunt had a bit to say about it. First, the shock of seeing the fire on the TV as it happened and realizing it was her son's house. She didn't even know if he had died in the fire until he anaged to call her around one in the morning.
The cause of the fire turned out to be careless smoking by one of the other house mates. Seems his girlfriend didn't like him smoking, so he did it on the sly - disposing of the butts in the trash. Good thinking! Now everyone knows you're a dumbass!
Red Cross put him up in a hotel for a week and gave him a gift card to buy a set of clothes. he did this and left it in the room. However, it seems that the Red Cross can only put you up for a week. Afterwards another agency takes over. The hotel didn't get the message though and locked him out of his room. Fine, they fixed that quickly enough when they saw that he was still paid up (just by someone else) and let him back into his room. However the maids "threw out" his brand new clothing.
Just the sort of kick to the nuts you need after losing everything in a fire eh?
Anyway, he's got most of his basics back now and he's couch surfing at his dad's until he can get a place to live. I'm building him a computer so he can at least do some web-surfing.
I have a friend, Eeyore, who I've always joked needed a fire (his house is a sty and well on it's way to being an example of Compulsive Hoarding). I hereby take the joke back.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-27 01:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-27 01:16 am (UTC)You know I'm always interested in adding to the elephant's graveyard of hardware that is my garage.
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Date: 2007-12-27 01:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-27 05:48 pm (UTC)Did he have tenant insurance? Hope so!
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Date: 2007-12-27 08:38 pm (UTC)I've gotten rid of four in the last few months. Four more to go.
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Date: 2007-12-27 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-28 07:24 pm (UTC)Well, post what he needs - I'm sure the LJ hive mind can put together some boxes of things.