Speaking of fire, I was in Brooklyn Sunday visiting my kids and attempting to fix my daughter's computer. About 9:30 in the morning I'm busy doing a chkdsk when the lights dim and there's a loud rumbling outside, followed by an extended rattling.
I don't think much about it, because where I come from we have power interruptions frequently. My son-in-law looks out the window and says, "I think we have some serious trouble."
I go to the window and see, across the street, a sewer lid several feet form the opening and smoke pouring out.
More troubling is the huge cloud of black smoke coming from beneath the window. This is right at the entrance to the apartment.
So two of us are in our Jammie's and the other two are still asleep. We grab some clothes, leash up the two dogs, stuff the cat into a carrier, I fumble around for my wallet, and we somehow get outside.
By that time there about six fire trucks and everything is blocked off with police tape. A couple blocks away I realize my kids have their priorities right. In addition to their pets, they have brought their backup CDs with years of pictures, and their cameras. My camera is still upstairs.
After a couple hours in the local park -- me doing my Arthur Dent imitation -- we go back.
I'm told this never happens except when we are visiting.
