A sad story about fire damage
CaptHenway
Posts: 32,404 ✭✭✭✭✭
Did not want to mention anything until we were back in our (undamaged, praise be) home that we had to evacuate due to the big fire that hit Colorado just before New Years, but we were in a nearby hotel that accommodated a lot of locals both burnt out or just dislocated until their utilities were returned.
One day as I got on an elevator an older couple got on right after me. The man was carrying a bucket that had several squarish metal boxes in it. They were made of relatively thin metal, and the tops were all melted and distorted. I asked "What were those?" and he replied "Some boxes of coins I just recovered from our basement." All I could say was "I'm sorry" as I got off at my floor. I hope it was just bullion, which he could get most of the value out of.
I keep my valuables in a SDB, though for a while I was seriously worried that the bank might burn down (it didn't). Since then I have been thinking about people who do store their stuff at home. I am guessing that most people who do so expect their one-house fire to be doused before the heat would melt everything in their basement, up to and including the structural I-beams that held up the main floor. That was not possible here, as a firestorm whipped by 100+ mph winds developed and several blocks had to be abandoned completely. They are now just cement rectangles filled with ashes.
Comments
Glad your home was undamaged.
Sorry for the folks that weren't as lucky.
Glad you were not harmed. My daughter lives in Arvada and they were under a pre-evac notice. Thankfully it never made it that far east.
When I saw that on the news it really brought back the memories of the Paradise fire and how it affected one member here. I am happy to hear that your home was not destroyed, certainly many were not so lucky. I have no basement and would rather trust that a bank vault would be better protected (and receive faster emergency services) than my home. So I keep my coins in the SDB and carry insurance to cover them in case of loss.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Glad to hear you are ok. I’m kinda your neighbor (Grand County). East Troublesome fire was and remains a local heart ache. We are thinking of you and your neighbors. James😢
🎶 shout shout, let it all out 🎶
that is good news im sure. my prayers for those that lost it all
Fire is a scary thing to think about. I collect antiquarian books as well. There’s really no hope of protecting them from fire.
LIBERTY SEATED DIMES WITH MAJOR VARIETIES CIRCULATION STRIKES (1837-1891) digital album
Glad you are safe and really feel for those who lost stuff in the fire.
The fire alarm going off in my apartment back when the hoard was way smaller scared the heebie-jeebies out of me. Been extremely paranoid ever since.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/quarters/PCGS-2020-quarter-quest/album/247091
That's way too scary, Tom. My Brother in Law lives in Boulder and now wants out of there. That thing went through there like a souped up steam roller.
We live in strange times, indeed!
Pete
I highly recommend a safe that is fire rated to 2000 degrees or higher. My safe was rated 2000 degrees and saved my coins. Melted the plastic but my coins were not damaged. Our home raged through the campfire in, Paradise, California in 2018. Burned to the ground with my safe still standing and only my safe still standing.
Thanks to the PCGS family they reholdered all of my coins at no cost. I will be forever grateful ❤️
Thank God your home and, more importantly your lives, were spared. While I would terribly regret losing my collection, I would be so happy that my family was safe that the coins would be second thought(although a heavy second thought). I can replace coins but not my family. Bless all that survived and offer prayers for those that did not.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
The East Troublesome fire was a warning as to how fast fire moves. We lost 2 up here last year and my heart aches for those affected 😢
🎶 shout shout, let it all out 🎶
That might have helped some people, but the aerial shots of the homes in the worst-hit areas show melted structural I-beams that used to hold up main floors. I looked and the various steels generally start melting above 2500 degrees.
The only valuables I had to leave behind were my library, which I once read begin to burn at Farenheit 451, and some photos. Not being burdened with anything metallic, I was able to concentrate on the important things, such as the cat, our passports, my sock and underwear drawers and my flannel shirt collection, and a coffee setup for wherever we ended up!
The cat was not amused.
Glad to hear you and yours are OK Tom.... Fire is a frightening disaster. Under circumstances such as some recent fires out west, there is little that can be done against such conflagration. Cheers, RickO
This reminds me of last November (I think it was) I was in Port Charlotte, FL and decided to go and visit Herb's Coins ( I've been there before). The BBQ place next door had just burned down. But Herb was sitting there in a lawn chair hanging out. Close one. There was a firewall between the shop and the BBQ place. Same structure.
I-beams don’t usually melt in a structure fire but they do loose structural integrity when they get hot enough. 1000-1200 degrees F is enough to cause most structural steel to fail. Once that happens the beams and columns will warp, bend, and twist. Same thing brought down the towers on 9/11. The steel doesn’t have to melt, just yield enough to start moving.
It does take a really high-quality safe to withstand a bad fire though. Most big-box gun safes won’t cut it.
But at least the cat had some socks to play with?
My, my! So sorry buddy. Right away, I too thought about Joe and his disaster as well. The main thing, we all know, are our lives. Although, in saying that, our possessions that mean everything to us, when lost, how our hearts break too. My prayers go out to you and anyone effected.
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.Two years ago I had an hour to evacuate at three in the morning after wildfire came through my area. unbelievably difficult situation! I had to grab my Cocoanut Grove spoon and Beverly Hills Supper Club poker chip. The thought of them being destroyed in a fire was too cruely ironic. Thankfully the fire stopped about a football field away from my house
Makes sense to have in in ground fire-safe.
From the Denver area...glad you and your place made it ok!!!
I work for the County and during that day we experienced winds so high it caused some huge parking lot light covers to fall off from shaking...they are about the size of car hoods.
Coins are Neato!
"If it's a penny for your thoughts and you put in your two cents worth, then someone...somewhere...is making a penny." - Steven Wright