One homeowner’s response to a frightening fire in his home, was textbook.
A home video surveillance video shows the Menorah beginning to drip, and ultimately sets the table and floor on fire.
The smoke detector immediately went off, and the New Jersey homeowner can be seen running with a fire extinguisher, bringing the situation under control seconds later.
Thankfully, the homeowner had a working smoke detector, a working fire extinguisher, and the frame of mind to tackle the situation before it got dangerous.
Watch the video below.
Quick Thinking
Wow!! B”h this ended well. a lot of lessons to learn…
Great to see that he has qoroig fire alarms, and a fire extinguisher in his home!
But why the heck in there no foil lining the table??
Wow. Glad they are okay.
Just out of curiosity, faulty menorah non-withstanding, are those menorah’s on a plastic tablecloth?
I’m the “homeowner” mentioned in this video. I agreed that it be shared here strictly as a cautionary tale, exactly as Hunch and RebRambo (and other friends privately) had mentioned: why didn’t I take more precautions? The precautions I _did_ take were obviously insufficient. I only hope that all of Klal Yisroel adapts the precautions you mentioned as well.
Most importantly I’m glad I was home. As R’ Eisenmann says in his “Short Vort – Don’t Light and Leave”, those who light after 5pm fulfill their obligation to light after 30min. If you need to leave – blow out the candles! He has very strong language against those who light and leave and assume that the mitzvah will protect them.
I’m very glad that I had these three things going for me:
– a working smoke detector,
– a working fire extinguisher (which I knew where it was & how to use it),
– most of all: HaKadosh Baruch Hu is _always_ watching over all of us!
That is so scary!!! Even if there was lining on the table – the fire is seen literally jumping from the menorah to the floor!! I dont think a foil lining or pan would have made a difference in this case. BH for the working smoke alarm and the fast acting of the homeowner who seemed calm and collected throughout the ordeal.
If you ever need to use a fire extinguisher, remember “P.A.S.S.”:
Pull (the pin)
Aim (the nozzle at the base of the fire)
Squeeze (the trigger on the extinguisher)
Sweep (the nozzle back and forth)
If you can’t put the fire out within less than a minute, it’s time to leave!!
thank u
Btw I think it’s amazing how fast your smoke alarm worked and how fast you were able to use your fire extinguisher.
BH everyone and everything is ok.
Was that an oil menorah or candle menorah that dripped?
So glad this ended safely. Amazing recovery from a bad situation…smoke alarms worked, fire extinguisher handy…. I heard about a family in north jersey that lost their home this year due to a Menorah fire. Please, please, please do not leave candles unattended.
He didn’t just have a working smoke detector and fire extinguisher, he also had a security camera! Good job!
First reaction: is that a Plastic tablecloth?
However, A house on fire makes the neighbors 30 inch menorah look like peanuts!
pirsumei nissa
this might sound stupid and foolish, but I have a suspicion that this is staged and videoed to teach us all a lesson
the way the smoke alarm went off so quick even though there was no smoke and the way he appeared so quick with the fire extinguisher looks suspicious
Great job!! and Great lesson!
Wow!!!
I give him credit for being brave and putting out the fire.
I would have just screamed an not know what to do(after I would have call 911 of course)he is so brave!
hope everyone is alright
B’H nobody was injured or killed. Fire spread VERY rapidly. After having been in the fire above Tzrulowitz’s chuld many years ago and the fire at Mariners Cove Motel not so many years ago, where people died (more even AFTER the fire) and the and suffering among the survivors, I always make sure the candle or oil are NEVER near anything highly flammable and I always stay awake until they’ve all gone out. My only exception to this is the stove under the blech – which must remain high enough so it does NOT go out and a yahrzeit candle. Both of which make me extremely nervous.