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AIBU?

AIBU to be a bit freaked out by this

14 replies

RenaissanceBunny · 24/07/2017 03:37

I live in a ground floor flat that backs out onto a city centre alley. Our buzzer is broken and our windows are completely filthy and you can't see anything out. Tonight I'm home alone. Earlier I smelt smoke (thought it was someone smoking, happens enough) then thought I hear rain (which I though was weird because it wasn't forecast) finally I noticed orange flackery light. I peered out the window and realised that there was a fire somewhere close by. At that point minor panic grabbed my essentials (my laptop with my PhD on it and one or two emotional things + wallet, phone, keys) pulled on joggers and a hoodie and went to investigate. Turns out someone set some rubbish on fire - no biggie - fire men on scene. Ok so all good. I am freaked because what if it was a big fire? My buzzer doesn't work, my windows are completely stuck shut and only look out onto the alley. I will be messaging my landlord in the morning to get stuff sorted but tonight I am a bit shaken - silly I know, such a tiny fire, but the what if is the scariest thing.

OP posts:
intergalacticbrexitdisco · 24/07/2017 03:41

Well, you live on the ground floor so you can't be much better off. If you needed, you could smash a window. Get smoke alarms as well.

Flossy1978 · 24/07/2017 03:45

Maybe clean your windows so you can see better? And if needed, you can grab a chair and break a window, since you are on the ground floor.

If it were a big fire, you'd smell the difference, let alone see it.

And if you are worried about your Phd, save it somewhere you can access it without needing your laptop. Because if it were a life endangering fire, you would be stupid to go around collecting "stuff". That's how people get themselves killed, Phd material or not.

Aquamarine1029 · 24/07/2017 03:45

You're not silly. You were made aware of potential hazards. I'm glad you'll be sorting this with your landlord tomorrow. You need to feel safe and be safe in your home.

MrsOverTheRoad · 24/07/2017 04:17

Sounds a bit unsettling OP. You should definitely clean your windows though...you should be able to see through them!

HappenedForAReisling · 24/07/2017 04:20

Maybe get advice from the fire service to see what you (or your LL)
could do to reduce the risk of a fire (from someone who was evacuated due to wildfires a week ago (not in the UK)).

RenaissanceBunny · 24/07/2017 04:21

I wouldn't have grabbed stuff if I thought the fire was big. The laptop was already onto of me and the stuff in a box on my bedside table. Windows are clean inside - outside however I can't reach. Do need to get onto my landlord but they aren't the most useful. Mostly posted on here because I can't exactly call anyone I know - middle of the night here.

OP posts:
Cornycopia · 24/07/2017 04:25

We have one of these in all the bedrooms, in the kitchen and in our vehicles.

I was stuck in a rolled car a few years ago. No injuries worse than a broken finger but I wasn't able to kick a window through. Fortunately, one of the rear doors could open. Glass can be surprisingly strong!

AIBU to be a bit freaked out by this
user1498911589 · 24/07/2017 04:38

Can you borrow/buy a karcher pressure washer - we don't have the window attachment but we can wash the upstairs windows with it.

HappenedForAReisling · 24/07/2017 05:16

Corny I have the exact same one. A friend had an incident in his car which caught fire. He struggled to get out and was very lucky friends were close by, one with an extinguisher. We all bought those hammers after that.

PunjanaTea · 24/07/2017 05:27

I recommend Dropbox for saving files from your laptop, particularly your PhD. It will automatically update all your files so the latest copies are always there and you can access anywhere.

twisterinyogapants · 24/07/2017 09:53

Clean your windows, that's not your landlords job.

Motoko · 24/07/2017 10:17

Get a window cleaner to clean the outside of the windows. They'll use a ladder. Save your work on an external server like Dropbox, and a copy on a USB stick too. You should do this anyway as your laptop might crash and lose it, or break.

allegretto · 24/07/2017 10:43

Make sure your PhD is saved somewhere else (e.g. Dropbox)! I know someone whose laptop was stolen - along with their only copy of their thesis.

Cornycopia · 24/07/2017 16:07

Sorry, 2nd contribution.

Use Google and its many applications and features: it'll blow Dropbox out of the water. I've admittedly fairly recently begun ploughing my way through the Google Educator qualifications, but it really is a magnificent suite. I say that a s a techie who would leave a burning building with a handful of flash drives above anyting else.

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