200 miles under the keel in one day ... or, how a house fire ruined our cruise

LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 8,074 mod
in Non-Boating Related
The Admiral and I had three wonderful days hanging out with @Dream_Innand other Rinker friends at Solomon's Island, and made a fantastic 60-mile run to Deltaville on the Rappahannock River.  Then, as we pulled into the Deltaville around noon, we got the phone call you never want to get:  our house was on fire!  

So we dashed home by boat ... 140 miles up the Potomac at 34-36 mph.  We had calm water and perfect weather the entire way, but we were far too distracted to enjoy it.  Put 200 miles under the keel in a day.  

The heroes from Fairfax County Fire & Rescue got to our house in just 6 minutes (!!), and they were able to save most of the house.  Still, there was heavy damage.  Half of the house has to be gutted because of fire, water or both.  Every item that survived the fire has to be removed for smoke cleaning ... clothing, furniture, every pot and pan, every fork and spoon, a garage very full of tools, a drum studio and much more.  We're in temporary housing until Christmas or longer.  

The picture below shows where the fire breached into the main dwelling.  Five more minutes and we'd have lost the entire house.  

I'm focusing on the positives:  no firefighters got hurt, they saved the house, and insurance will make it right for us.  

The cruise ended badly, but it sure did start out nice!

  
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  • aero3113aero3113 Member Posts: 9,879 ✭✭✭✭✭
    WoW! So sorry, glad no one was hurt. Any clue on how the fire started?
    2008 330EC
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  • Liberty44140Liberty44140 Member Posts: 4,414 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Oh man LR sorry to see this! Glad you guys are ok. Stuff can be replaced. Glad you had a seamless ride home 
    07' Cruisers 390 (Previous Rinker's: 06' 342EC & 01' 310FV)

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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 8,074 mod
    It was an electrical fire in a storage room above the garage.  We have a fire forensics expert working to figure it out.
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  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,972 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Wow bud- so sorry to hear about this and I'm sure there will be a lot to work through to get your home right again...good luck and prayers.
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  • IanIan Member Posts: 3,064 ✭✭✭✭✭
    So sorry to hear @LaRea, just getting the call would have been devastating. Good positive outlook, it gets better from here.

    Regards,

    Ian

    The Third “B”

    Ravena Coeymans Yacht Club

    https://www.rcyachtclub.com/

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  • Black_DiamondBlack_Diamond Member Posts: 5,439 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Wow. Sorry on that mess. Hopefully all works out well for you guys!

    Past owner of a 2003 342FV
    PC BYC, Holland, MI
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  • skennellyskennelly Member Posts: 2,196 ✭✭✭✭
    Wow @LaRea so happy nobody was hurt.  Scary situation.
    2002 - 270FV Mag 350 B3
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  • boatman37boatman37 Member Posts: 810 ✭✭✭
    Wow. Sorry to hear this.
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  • raybo3raybo3 Administrator Posts: 5,615 admin
    Sorry for the fire. Thank God you or your family are safe and that is the most important thing. Good luck with the mess.
    2002 342 Fiesta Vee PC Point Of Pines YC Revere MA. popyc.org     raybo3@live.com
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  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Wow! Damage can always be fixed, lives can't. On the bright side, the cars are good right?
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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 8,074 mod
    Thanks guys.  It was depressing to watch as they started packing up all of our stuff.  What a huge, huge job, and we have a million decisions to make during the next few months.  

    My car got dinged up a bit when they broke down the garage door, but it's fixable.  
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  • cls10105cls10105 Member Posts: 389 ✭✭
    That's terrible. Sorry to hear that man. Glad you and your family are safe everything else will get back to normal in time.
    cruising on 6. tw0s
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  • GMSLITHOGMSLITHO Member Posts: 1,619 ✭✭✭✭
    Guess your neighbors or someone was looking out for you it sounds like it could have been a lot worse 
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  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Does this mean you will be in town for Thanksgiving???😁
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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 8,074 mod
    Yeah, my neighbor saw it and called 911, and started banging on the door to see if anybody was home.  If he had arrived five minutes later, or if it had happened at night, we would have lost everything.  
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  • raybo3raybo3 Administrator Posts: 5,615 admin
    Do you know the cause???? 
    2002 342 Fiesta Vee PC Point Of Pines YC Revere MA. popyc.org     raybo3@live.com
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  • WillhoundWillhound Member Posts: 4,242 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Wow! So happy to hear no one was hurt or worse. Stuff can be replaced. Hang in there, we're all rooting for you.
    "Knot Quite Shore" - 2000 FV270 (Sold)
    2018 Cherokee 39RL Land Yacht (Sorry...)
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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 8,074 mod
    Not yet.  We have more forensic investigators coming over today and Monday.  
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  • reneechris14reneechris14 Member Posts: 3,134 ✭✭✭✭✭
    So sorry for this its terrible. Glad you and the family is ok. 
    2005 Rinker FV342  Pawcatuck river,Ct
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  • TonyG13TonyG13 Member Posts: 1,438 ✭✭✭✭
    Glad you and yours are OK - and great to have an observant neighbor.
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  • SpyderwebSpyderweb Member Posts: 959 ✭✭✭
    Just terrible.  Can't imagine the emotions you must have (and are) going through.  So glad you're looking at the positives.  Hang in here.  
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  • Lake_BumLake_Bum Member Posts: 1,142 ✭✭✭✭
    Wow.....probably a blessing you weren't home! Who knows what could have happened to you guys if you attempted to save stuff in the moment!   Thank God everyone is okay, and a HUGE thank you for that neighbor! 
    A great friend of mine lost his house to a fire on New Years Eve a year and a half ago. It took almost a full year for them to get rebuilt. 
    2000 Captiva 232 
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  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Post some pics of what caused it if you can
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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 8,074 mod
    Maybe after they finish their investigation.  
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  • 69fastback69fastback Member Posts: 951 ✭✭✭
    So sorry to hear it. Smoke and water damage are almost as devastating as the actual fire. Hopefully insurance takes care of you. 
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  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You will get all new ductwork. 
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  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Take advantage of the situation and do some improvements. 
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  • randy56randy56 Member Posts: 4,085 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Sorry Man, glad you have good neighbors. That looks stressful, have a refreshing beverage. There is much to be thankful for. 
    Boat Name : 

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  • trip_ntrip_n Member Posts: 747 ✭✭✭
    that suxs=sorry for your loss
    im with lake_bum = good thing you were not ay home
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  • Dream_InnDream_Inn Member, Moderator Posts: 7,946 mod
    Chris, both you and Diane have been in our thoughts since all of this happened.  You know there is a group of us up here that will help in any way that we can.  As everyone has said, material stuff can be fixed.  Many were asking about you at Rinkervous as well.  

    Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express

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