The day my fridge tried to burn down the house
It was the dead of night, approximately 1:30 AM (Thursday 28th September 2023), and I was engrossed in a TV series within the confines of my room. An unexpected and ominous scent began to infiltrate the air, a scent that hinted at impending disaster. My initial assumption was that my trusty computer had succumbed to the perils of overheating, leading to a smoldering catastrophe. Rushing to my computer, I leaned in, but to my relief, it remained unscathed.
As I opened the door to my room, I was greeted not by the usual sight but by an engulfing darkness that seemed to transcend the bounds of our reality. The room was shrouded in a veil of thick, impenetrable black smoke.
In a frenzied panic, I cried out, “FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!” in a desperate attempt to rouse everyone in the house. Frantically, I flung open my room’s window, allowing the billowing smoke to dissipate. Descending the stairs, I could feel the oppressive heat emanating from our kitchen. To my shock, it was the refrigerator that was ablaze! Fortunately, we had two portable fire extinguishers at our disposal. Without hesitation, we unleashed their icy torrents upon the raging inferno, determined to stifle the beast without succumbing to the choking smoke that swirled around us.
After a relentless battle, we managed to quell the flames, though the haunting crackle of embers within the charred refrigerator persisted. With resolve, we turned off the electrical breaker and drenched the appliance and its vicinity with water.
Our swift action saved our home from being reduced to ashes before the Fire Department arrived. According to the firefighters, our rapid response was the sole barrier between us and the complete incineration of our abode—a mere 15 minutes away from total devastation.
The Grim Aftermath: A Blanket of Soot
The aftermath was nothing short of apocalyptic. Soot had blanketed nearly every surface in our home, transforming our once-cozy dining room into a scene reminiscent of a hipster’s avant-garde café with its gradient paint.
Cleaning up proved to be an arduous ordeal. My air conditioner’s filter, in particular, had become a repository for a thick layer of inky soot.
My first order of business the following morning was to procure a new smoke alarm, realizing that our previous one had become defunct.
The Wicked Culprit: Our Fridge
Our prevailing theory regarding the fridge’s combustion was that the automatic ice maker’s motor had overheated, sparking the blaze within the ice maker compartment. The compartment, once filled with ice, had now been reduced to a melted, charred husk.
The fire’s inception likely occurred within the ice maker’s mechanical heart, subsequently spreading to the door, where it ravaged the insulation material.
Forunately, no one was injured in this incident.