Bundy The Firefighter

Ok, so I'm not really a firefighter but I did do my good deed of the week earlier tonight.

I was on my way to work around 10:40 p.m. and as I drove by a house just down the road from my place I noticed an open flame near the front deck. I knew this wasn't normal but the house I'm speaking of is also the house that Christmas threw-up on during the holiday season with a yard full of those inflatable Christmas decorations. So it could have been some other new winter fake flame thing I've never heard of.

Any way, I figured I'd better check to be sure so I turned the car around at the next street and drove back. I got out of the car and walked up to the deck, half expecting the owner to come out with either a can of mace or a baseball bat to scare me off. He didn't.

Sure enough, it was an electrical fire with the rubber end of an extension cord running under the deck "fully involved" to steal a real firefighter term. The fire was strong enough that it was blackening the side of the house and was capable of igniting the wooden deck had it not been discovered.

I quickly went to the front door and knocked. The owner came out the side door and looked at me like "who is this big bugger and what the hell does he want?" I told him about the fire and he sort of went "nuts" while yelling at his family to get out of the house. I showed him where the fire was and he was able to extinguish it without having to call the fire department or 911.

Although he never thanked me, I didn't really need to be thanked as I just felt good knowing I'd done the right thing and averted a possible much worse situation.

But as I continued driving to work, I couldn't help but wonder how many other people had just driven by without stopping? It had been burning for a little bit and I know there was some traffic that had gone by it earlier and even as I was turning around to go back another 2 cars went by.

It's scary to think that someone would rather not get involved. I hope if something similar was to happen to me, that someone would be kind enough to knock on my door...unless I'm watching LOST or Survivor...in which case just put out the fire yourself and leave me a note.