Have you ever encountered the situation where the fire alarm goes off for an actual emergency, but you just ignore it thinking that it’s just another drill? A few weeks ago, the management decided to test the fire alarms in my block and prior to the test, they sent out emails telling all of us not to worry if sirens and lights would suddenly come on. For weeks I expected them to carry out the test but they never did, until 2 weeks ago. The alarms went off for no apparent reason but a voice over the intercom calmed us all down saying it’s just a test. Then last Monday, there was an actual fire in one of the floors below me. I was on my way back from doing laundry when suddenly the fire alarms went on. At first, I was surprised that they wanted to test the alarms twice in such a short span of time so I ignored it and went about cleaning my room. After a few moments, I noticed the absence of the voice over the intercom explaining the situation, so I stepped out of my room to have a look. Everyone was in the hallway looking as bewildered as I was.
Eventually we all got the idea that there was an actual fire somewhere in the building so we had to evacuate. I was still in doubt so I locked my room door and made sure my belongings were secure before leaving. We all had to take the stairs because that’s just standard fire escape procedure. Everyone was busy chatting away happily as if there was nothing to worry about (and indeed there was nothing to worry) and as we passed the third floor, we spotted the source of the fire. The third floor lounge was filled with smoke and the smell was awful, like burning plastic. Outside, the security guards gave the explanation. Someone tried to cook something in the microwave, the microwave caught fire, the food item caught fire, she threw it in the trash can and it caught fire and the sink eventually caught fire as well. Luckily, the fire was confined to the lounge area, so there really was nothing to worry. Perhaps they were worried about the hazards of the smoke that was rapidly spreading throughout the building.
All of us had to wait outside in the freezing cold for the firemen to arrive. Fortunately, they didn’t take too long to arrive and they were quite quick to assess the situation. It was quite exciting to see the firemen, in their heavy gear and gas masks and axes enter the building. I even thought they were going to use their hose and spray through the windows or something as one of their crew started unloading the hoses. Eventually, they fixed the situation (the hose was not needed...Awww…I wanted to see some spraying action) and we were all allowed to go back inside. Although this incident was just a minor issue, I would never again underestimate the importance of the fire alarm. Luckily my room is next to the fire escape so in the event of an actual fire, I can escape easily.
