Ok so last year I had a pretty serious fire in my grow space! I've got PTSD from it now so I thought I'd share my story in the hope it helps others avoid this situation.
My tent was in my attic room which was (Luckily) insulated, boarded and converted into a kinda workshop. ( No smoke detector) The Gas boiler was situated up there, no windows and only a 4inch vent which I used for fresh air intake.
My hot air was sent into the bathroom to disperse out of the window.
The floor was bare chipboard and the cieling was unpainted plasterboard so I always struggled with low humidity and was using air coolers and humidifiers to get me from 30 or below to 55RH.
So 3 days before Christmas I was up with my plants getting them ready for chopping after 48hours of darkness. As you do I was smoking a fat one just before bed and marveling at my girls.
The room was quite large with chairs and a workbench + all of my belongings, old cardboard boxes and general attic clutter.
As I live in a residential neighborhood and didn't want the smell of smoking to give me away I would also smoke up there so the filter could sort out the smell.
I finished up and put the roach in the tin I was using as an ashtray. Shut the hatch and went to bed about midnight.
Then at about 1am my girlfriend starts shaking me awake as she can hear a beeping noise like an alarm or something.
So rather groggy I get up and notice the fire alarm on the ceiling is going off and theirs a bad smell in the air. Its pitch black so I try the lights and it seems all the powers out ... I'm thinking wtf , run to electric box and the breakers won't turn on. Wtf.... Then it hits me!
I open the hatch to the attic and straight away it's just think black/ orange smoke and raging inferno above my head! The fire is really loud crackling, flames licking 12ft right up to the apex of the roof as all my boxes of stuff near the hatch was on fire!
Growing up my dad was a firefighter so I had some idea as to what to do with a fire . I snapped into gear, given the nature of what was up there my first thought was to see if I can put it out before calling for help or evacuation. So i grabbed some towels soaked them in water and went up without clothes on , diving into the pile of burning shit with every wet towel, rug, tshit I had arroud me.
The fire was still burning all around me and now I couldnt see anything for the smoke and steam . The towels stopped for flames for a moment before it just burnt through. I was screaming for pots, pans , bowls of water. Throwing them in every direction!
After a few mins of this, breathing in the thick smoke , exhausted I half stumble off the steps . Struggling to breath I know I'm fucked and I can't beat it.
I get out my phone to call fire department. With the number dialed I get images of what will happen, cops will come , prison , loss of home etc.
Then I remember the Gas boiler!!! I run outside and turn off the supply and
have one more go! I get back on the ladders and notice the air intake duct. I grab it and pull hard as it comes away a molten mess from the direction of the tent. I rammed in my mouth to breathe anything but the think smoke and start throwing down half burning boxes out the opening to the ground above just trying to remove the fuel for the fire and stop it spreading.
My house mate now remembers the hose pipe and runs outside to get it . Luckily it's long enough. He gives it to me and I proceed to just soak every direction listening out the sound of stream as I can't see where the fires are through all the smoke.
I kept spraying until water was pouring through the ceiling. The heat is still like an oven so I keep going.
I can't tell if anything still burning and with the main fire out I start trying to think of ways to clear the smoke. I run an extension lead from garage electrics get up in the attic looking on the floor for the plug that powers the exhaust fans. I didn't know as I couldn't see but everything had melted so it naturally tripled out the moment I plugged in it. So I jumped back down and grabbed a 22inch floor fan.Put it at top of hatch and direct it down to blow smoke through the house and out the doors.
Now I can see the damage , everything above knee height is charred or melted. The insulation and plasterboard has kept the fire contained but also the heat so the entire thing turned into an oven.
Light bulbs even melted on the roof! All the beams charred near the source of the fire. Tent is just a frame with my lights collapsed into the plants. Fully budded girls are jet black with soot and wilted.
I'm burnt all over my hands and arms, carpet below is burnt and black, ceiling fucked from the water.
Atleast we are ok , the fire department or police or news papers are not involved.
On further investigation the fire came from the roach, the ash tin was a bit full and too close to dry cardboard. I was entirely to blame.
All in all I lost my crop, my top of the range 2kw system and Aircon, extraction, all my stored belonging and then a few thousand in repairs to the property. Not to mention weeks of hard work to fix it all.
Lesson one . Don't smoke in your grow space.
Lesson two . Make sure you have linked smoke alarms from your grow space to your phone or living areas. This fire was burning for over an hour before the smoke alarm below went off.
Ive written this on my phone so sorry about grammar I will edit it later to tidy it up as this is straight from my muddled memory.
Don't make my mistake be over safe when it comes to fire!!!
My tent was in my attic room which was (Luckily) insulated, boarded and converted into a kinda workshop. ( No smoke detector) The Gas boiler was situated up there, no windows and only a 4inch vent which I used for fresh air intake.
My hot air was sent into the bathroom to disperse out of the window.
The floor was bare chipboard and the cieling was unpainted plasterboard so I always struggled with low humidity and was using air coolers and humidifiers to get me from 30 or below to 55RH.
So 3 days before Christmas I was up with my plants getting them ready for chopping after 48hours of darkness. As you do I was smoking a fat one just before bed and marveling at my girls.
The room was quite large with chairs and a workbench + all of my belongings, old cardboard boxes and general attic clutter.
As I live in a residential neighborhood and didn't want the smell of smoking to give me away I would also smoke up there so the filter could sort out the smell.
I finished up and put the roach in the tin I was using as an ashtray. Shut the hatch and went to bed about midnight.
Then at about 1am my girlfriend starts shaking me awake as she can hear a beeping noise like an alarm or something.
So rather groggy I get up and notice the fire alarm on the ceiling is going off and theirs a bad smell in the air. Its pitch black so I try the lights and it seems all the powers out ... I'm thinking wtf , run to electric box and the breakers won't turn on. Wtf.... Then it hits me!
I open the hatch to the attic and straight away it's just think black/ orange smoke and raging inferno above my head! The fire is really loud crackling, flames licking 12ft right up to the apex of the roof as all my boxes of stuff near the hatch was on fire!
Growing up my dad was a firefighter so I had some idea as to what to do with a fire . I snapped into gear, given the nature of what was up there my first thought was to see if I can put it out before calling for help or evacuation. So i grabbed some towels soaked them in water and went up without clothes on , diving into the pile of burning shit with every wet towel, rug, tshit I had arroud me.
The fire was still burning all around me and now I couldnt see anything for the smoke and steam . The towels stopped for flames for a moment before it just burnt through. I was screaming for pots, pans , bowls of water. Throwing them in every direction!
After a few mins of this, breathing in the thick smoke , exhausted I half stumble off the steps . Struggling to breath I know I'm fucked and I can't beat it.
I get out my phone to call fire department. With the number dialed I get images of what will happen, cops will come , prison , loss of home etc.
Then I remember the Gas boiler!!! I run outside and turn off the supply and
have one more go! I get back on the ladders and notice the air intake duct. I grab it and pull hard as it comes away a molten mess from the direction of the tent. I rammed in my mouth to breathe anything but the think smoke and start throwing down half burning boxes out the opening to the ground above just trying to remove the fuel for the fire and stop it spreading.
My house mate now remembers the hose pipe and runs outside to get it . Luckily it's long enough. He gives it to me and I proceed to just soak every direction listening out the sound of stream as I can't see where the fires are through all the smoke.
I kept spraying until water was pouring through the ceiling. The heat is still like an oven so I keep going.
I can't tell if anything still burning and with the main fire out I start trying to think of ways to clear the smoke. I run an extension lead from garage electrics get up in the attic looking on the floor for the plug that powers the exhaust fans. I didn't know as I couldn't see but everything had melted so it naturally tripled out the moment I plugged in it. So I jumped back down and grabbed a 22inch floor fan.Put it at top of hatch and direct it down to blow smoke through the house and out the doors.
Now I can see the damage , everything above knee height is charred or melted. The insulation and plasterboard has kept the fire contained but also the heat so the entire thing turned into an oven.
Light bulbs even melted on the roof! All the beams charred near the source of the fire. Tent is just a frame with my lights collapsed into the plants. Fully budded girls are jet black with soot and wilted.
I'm burnt all over my hands and arms, carpet below is burnt and black, ceiling fucked from the water.
Atleast we are ok , the fire department or police or news papers are not involved.
On further investigation the fire came from the roach, the ash tin was a bit full and too close to dry cardboard. I was entirely to blame.
All in all I lost my crop, my top of the range 2kw system and Aircon, extraction, all my stored belonging and then a few thousand in repairs to the property. Not to mention weeks of hard work to fix it all.
Lesson one . Don't smoke in your grow space.
Lesson two . Make sure you have linked smoke alarms from your grow space to your phone or living areas. This fire was burning for over an hour before the smoke alarm below went off.
Ive written this on my phone so sorry about grammar I will edit it later to tidy it up as this is straight from my muddled memory.
Don't make my mistake be over safe when it comes to fire!!!
Attachments
Last edited:
