Friends and family will know that when we moved into our current home around six years ago, it needed a lot of redecorating. The only room that didn't was the kitchen. Not entirely to our taste, but it had been recently renovated. So we were going to live with it, at least until I managed to set it on fire and then blow it up.
It's a long story, let's leave it at leaving a plastic tub full of shopping on top of a ceramic cooker hob (that bit is important) and then going out. On our return, the tub had melted, caught fire, burnt parts of the kitchen units, then two aerosols amongst the shopping exploded, fortunately blowing out the fire but at the same time, blowing out the window and door. Just the memory of it makes me cringe even now. The silver lining was that our insurer paid for a new kitchen and our neighbours saw an increase in their premium costs next time they renewed.
Fast forward to 2008, last weekend. I'd spent the weekend back home with my family. I returned to Helsinki with my LighterLife foodpacks in my favourite TravelPro flight case. I took it into the kitchen area and the only place to put it to unload was on top of the ceramic cooker hob. Yes, that's right. You would think I had learnt my lesson, but I was tired and in a hurry. I must have nudged the control knob when I put the suitcase on the surface, because a few minutes later when I was elsewhere in the apartment, I noticed a smell of burning. Returning to the kitchen I found clouds of smoke and moved quickly to get the suitcase off the hob and onto the balcony.
Here you see the aftermath. I got to the case before it actually caught fire, but it is nonetheless ruined. It's a shame because it has been with me on so many trips that I shall need to find a very similar replacement. Perhaps it could go on my Christmas list?One unexpected benefit has been in a little variation in my diet. The LighterLife chicken soups now have a faint barbeque flavour...
1 comment:
Glad you caught it in time and that you are safe! Boy oh boy.
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