New electrics can be dangerous.
A friend of mine, Connie, got a new Roper range. Within days, she decided to make her Sweedish cookies. To make these, you have a pot of hot oil and dip an iron pattern (looks a lot like a branding iron) in the batter, then plunge it into the hot oil.
So, she turned her back on it for a couple minutes (which she'd done many times with the old stove). FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPPPHHH!!!! The flames were so hot she couldn't get to the brand new industrial size fire extinguisher that had just been installed.
This was back in "ethnic decore" days, so the kitchen ceiling was hung with baskets, which caught fire and ushered the flames into the dining room where there was plenty more flamability.
The parrot (a nasty critter) got fried right off, and soon the dining room was well engulfed in flames. The patio doors shattered, exposing the huge new gas grill Stew had just installed. A plug melted out of the 5-gallon gas tank, and it just happened to be pointed into the dining room. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!!!
With a plume of flaming propane tourching through to the living room, the wood floors soon were burned through, dropping flaming embers down into the basement where Connie's pottery shop storage was piled with cans of paints and solvents. WOOOOOOOOSH!!!! yet again.
The guys from the fire department complained bitterly that usually nearly all the damage is from water, but this time they just couldn't find anything to damage.
Interestingly, the most intact parts of the house were a far back corner bedroom and . . . . the kitchen. The reason the kitchen survived was because it was the only place with a low drywall ceiling and drywall walls (on two sides). The rest of the place was open plan with high beamed ceilings.
I still have a couple of splashes of aluminum that poured down on the driveway when the sliding glass doors (on the far side from the patio doors) melted. They're quite nice, I should frame and title them.
Monday morning Stew called the architect who was planning an addition and told him there would be some substantial modifications to the plan. The new house featured massive copper water piping and sprinkler heads over the kitchen.
For years after, anytime anyone complained about their house, we'd offer that "Connie can come down and make cookies".
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