JeffHs
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| posted on 10/3/15 at 06:12 PM |
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I'm a lucky idiot
Had a fire in the garage today. Almost a disaster but averted just in time. I was welding some 10 mm bar for garden structures, took one down the
garden and installed it when my wife suggested we break for lunch. As we walked back to the house I saw smoke pouring from the garage.
I had been working on top of my circular saw table with a block board cover to protect it but a stray spark had set fire to the old polycotton sheet
covering the saw, set fire to the cardboard underneath it and the block board and the wooden saw table were well alight. The plastic cover over my 2CV
special was on fire and pouring molten gobs onto the floor. Several blasts from my CO2 extinguisher got things under control, so no great damage
beyond replacing the welder mains cable (melted) and lots of charred woodwork. (the dozens of tins of paint, 20 litres of thinners, several cans of
white spirit not to mention tons of sawdust and a car with petrol in the tank were not involved).
Lots of lessons to learn!
Take care out there.
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theduck
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| posted on 10/3/15 at 06:20 PM |
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Very lucky and a reminder that we shkukd all have an extinguisher handy!
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snapper
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| posted on 10/3/15 at 06:25 PM |
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Fire extinguisher and a metal cabinet for the flammibles
I eat to survive
I drink to forget
I breath to pi55 my ex wife off (and now my ex partner)
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PSpirine
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| posted on 10/3/15 at 07:22 PM |
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I climbed up to the loft in the garage the other day, proceeded to knock over a seat cushion, which fell down onto my fire extinguisher, knocking it
against the floor and setting it off, covering the entire garage in CO2 powder. 
I couldn't even come down to stop it as it was just spraying everywhere!
Put out a fire before there even was one.. it'll be a long day cleaning!
Glad yours wasn't serious OP
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Wadders
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| posted on 10/3/15 at 07:26 PM |
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Lucky....once had a similar scary incident in my parents single garage which resulted in the attendance of two fire engines, one
charred and destroyed escort van and a very red face, managed to shove the thing out of the garage before the fire
really took hold otherwise it would have been a lot worse.....needless to say my garage has several fire extinguishers dotted
about.
Take care peeps, fire in garages is BAD 
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RichieW
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| posted on 10/3/15 at 09:21 PM |
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I keep my oil and other flammables in a garden tidy outside the garage. Doesn't seem to do them any harm. Leaves me a little more room in a
cramped garage too.
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turbodisplay
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| posted on 10/3/15 at 09:39 PM |
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I normally have a cool down period of an hour or more after welding grinding etc. Then make sure there is noting smoldering before leaving garage.
Regarding near missed I've had a few, as long as you learn then at least that is one positive!
Darren
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NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
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ctwv50
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| posted on 10/3/15 at 10:10 PM |
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I once set fire to the flannel shirt I was wearing with grinding sparks, oh and the bin when welding. And building foam when I was plumbing. That
stuff should be illegal!
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DIY Si
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| posted on 10/3/15 at 11:10 PM |
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My 2 year old son saved me from possibly burning my new workshop down! I'd been using a foam packing pad from work to kneel on when I was
welding under the car, when he wanted me to go play outside. I turned round a minute or so later to see him pointing and saying Fireman Sam to the
garage. I walk in to see nothing, until he pointed under the car at the pad on fire and the garage starting to fill with smoke. I couldn't see
the flames from the door at all! I don't think anything much could have happened with the shell being bare and in the middle of the bare floor,
but you never know!
“Let your plans be dark and as impenetratable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
My new blog: http://spritecave.blogspot.co.uk/
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whitestu
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| posted on 11/3/15 at 08:33 AM |
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I've certainly had a few close shaves over the years
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 11/3/15 at 12:55 PM |
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yeah dust sheets over cars are something else when they light up, not a good idea to weld next to, also had a hot air gun fall of a car and get
knocked on as I left, only just heard the motor running as I closed the garage door.
These days I switch off the power to the garage when I leave to insure nothing is running or could come on when I'm not there, does make me jump
if I have left the compressor on though.
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ctwv50
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| posted on 11/3/15 at 01:07 PM |
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I have a security alarm in my garage connected to a dialer which calls me if it goes off. I've just bought a mains fire alarm which I can hook
up to the dialer so if it goes off it calls me too. I'm not paranoid at all! I couldn't bare it if 5 years of work got nicked or went up
in smoke.
[Edited on 11/3/15 by ctwv50]
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Norfolkluegojnr
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| posted on 11/3/15 at 01:38 PM |
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won't bore you with mine, but a substantial fuel leak on the mini (unnoticed) coupled with a spark gave me the scariest 10 second of my life.
Incredible how quickly petrol catches and how hot it gets VERY quickly.
Managed to he-man the car out of the garage, actually pushing it off axle stands, to access the fire extinguisher, which was stupidly positioned at
the door end.
no damage except my pride, and a few dents on the underside of the car, but genuinely thought my number was up. Suffice to say i'm a lot more
careful these days. 
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Angel Acevedo
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| posted on 11/3/15 at 03:47 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by PSpirine
clipped..... covering the entire garage in CO2 powder. clipped......
I think you mean Dry Chemical Powder...
As CO2 sublimates and leaves no residue...
AA
Beware of what you wish.. for it may come true....
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Pojo
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| posted on 11/3/15 at 03:53 PM |
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good reminder. just bought a new fire extinguisher, old one was 20 year old BCF, no charge left. Glad there was no long term damage.
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steve m
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| posted on 11/3/15 at 05:11 PM |
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Glad it all ended fairly well, I also had a garage fire (single garage attached to my house) and caused 20k worth of clean up , and my 7 was in the
garage, but incredibly unscathed, as I had it covered in old duvets, that have some fire retardant in them
It was the most scariest moment of my life, second was coming off a motorbike at 110Mph on a duel carriage way bend in 1979!
steve
Thats was probably spelt wrong, or had some grammer, that the "grammer police have to have a moan at
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The Black Flash
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| posted on 11/3/15 at 11:33 PM |
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Scary! Glad you stopped it OP.
I've managed to set the bin alight while welding, but the one which really surprised me was a big ball of wire wool. Some sparks from the angle
grinder hit it, turned around and the wire is burning red hot. I did not expect that!
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tegwin
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| posted on 11/3/15 at 11:37 PM |
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Not on the same scale but I set fire to my crotch one day using an angle grinder.... Wondered why my bapps felt sweaty, looked down and my trousers
were on fire... Burned a hole in the trousers and a matching hole in my pants..... Couldn't get rid of the stench of burnt hair for ages!!
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