My car was burned to a crisp last week....
http://alpes.france3.fr/info/la-clusaz--incendie-maitrise---72095753.html
that's what's left of it. Pretty disheartening, only had it since this summer, and I loved it.
Was going to work, drove up, and into the garage, luckily there was nobody else parked there... as I left the parking, I looked back, and saw a small light at the front of the car, on the wall... I thought it strange that I would have just left my parking lights on, as I'm a bit if a nutter about turning things off, and securing my car, so, i went back, and "turned off the lights"... looking at ther wall, it was still on, went to the front of the car, and saw a "glow" through the grill, can still see it now, in my head, a light yellow glow.
Ran up to hotel, took a fire extinguisher, and as I ran back down the ramp, I was thinking, "yeah, it'll be a bitch getting the car out of the garage to get it repaired." little did I know, a couple of hours later, it would be a wreck.
Tried to open the bonnet, but it was stuck, completely shut, so I still went with the extinguisher, put a good coating of foam anywhere I could, to try smother it, but, extinguisher ran out, and it was clear without getting the bonnet open, there was no way the fire would die. So, I called the pompiers.
By the time they got there, there was thick black smoke coming out the entrance of the carpark, I explained where it was, and what it was, and went about trying to work as normal, after all, the guests were starting to come down for breakfast, and checking out. In the following few minutes, firetruck after firetruck came, and the inspector, and all sorts of "technical" looking folk.
A fireman came up and told me that we had to stop the guests from going outside, because of the toxic smoke, and also to move everone in the hotel to the far end of the building, and prepare for possible explosions. Possible explosions???? Turns out there was a storage of fueltanks, garden equipment and other nice stuff in a garage not far from my burning car, which they were expecting to go up at any minute.
He then said the fire itself was out, but the heat and smoke needed to be dealt with. Apparently in the other hotel, the smoke went up the liftshaft, and into the cellar, and started to go in the kitchen. The power was cut in both hotels, so we did breakfast, lunch prep, and some check-outs with no ovens, no lights, no computer, no beer pump, nothing. frontal lamps on our heads.candles everywhere.
When they finally pulled out the wreck, all the staff of both hotels were standing along the resto window, taking pictures, saying "aiiii, la VACHE", and trying to "be there" for me. I was gutted, but, went along with the triviality of it all.
We're back to having one car."at least you've got another one" they all say.
Funny thing is, while the firemen were putting it out, and all that, France 3 came to the scene, and filmed a little, they put the real story on their site, and ran a small clip on the Rhone-alps channels.
Then, other newsfolk, without having been at the scene, all changed the times, the number of firemen on the scene, and details of the fire itself. Funny old world, isn't it.
Gladly, the insurance company have been helpful, because I think if this happened in Ireland, I might have had to go to court to prove I did not start the fire myself.
Still waiting for someone to tell me what caused it, but my guess is, either the water pump was fritzed, or an electrical fire. I can't help thinking that if I had 5 minutes more of drive to work, i would have been in a bigger mess.
So, if I've been away, that's why. I work, and on my time off in the afternoons, I talk to insurance company, and try to get paperwork sorted out. No fun and games. I'd rather be on the slopes.