The volunteer fire trucks in the Pocono Mountains are yellow! I can still picture them like
it was yesterday. Eight years ago, my friends and I rented a house and were celebrating the holidays. It was six in the morning, we were
all asleep and our house was on fire. A loud knock on the door and frantic
yelling from a neighbor walking his dog got our attention. We were all hung
over after a night of partying and grilling. As the smoke started to fill the
house, my friend grabbed a fire extinguisher. To our luck, it was a
tiny pint-sized one that can gracefully put out a few birthday candles, but didn't fare so well with a burning deck and side of the house. My first thought was that we all need
to put on our pants and get the hell out. My second thought was that we just lost
our security deposit.
As they say, grilling is all fun and games until somebody
burns down the house. The charcoal we discarded and thought was completely
out was NOT. To make things worse the ashes were disposed of into a
paper bag with a jumbo sized bottle of lighter fluid right next to it. There is
only one word to describe the whole situation, and it starts with a hash-tag……#EPICFAIL.
Here are some tips to avoid burning down your house (from
the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association) :
Dispose of cold ashes in a non-combustible container and be sure no other combustible materials are near by
What is your most memorable #EPICFAIL grilling moment?
