Note To Self: Have Emergency Numbers Ready

Steve and I were heading out the door to grab some steaks at the grocery store.  As he opened the door, I told him I wasn't going to carry my purse - I did not need to.  He had money, plastic and it was just a burden dragging on my side.  Yes, it hurts that bad.  So off we go on our merry way less than a mile away to the mall.

As we are going to the underground parking area, I look up at the bright signs on the side of the building and commented to Steve, "That looks like real fire!"  He looks up and says, "It IS real fire!" just as I realized it was indeed a real fire.  Obviously, he decided not to go into the parking garage right under it, *gasp* passed it up and came around on the side in the parking lot - no, silly, NOT under it, near it.  Our car or bodies were in no way in danger.  

We were among the first to notice it, there was only two guys looking up by the time we parked, one was taking pictures.  I went over to him and asked if anyone had called the fire department.  He looked at me,and like a light dawned on him, he said, "Can!  Can!"  And started dialing.  Duh... k...

Ok, why didn't I call?  It is not 911 here, it is 995.  I know that now, but had no idea then.  I had never thought about it - well, I actually had - when I first moved to Singapore two years ago, but I had forgotten what it was.  I will enter it and police in my phone now.  If you need those numbers, now would be a handy time to get them - before the fire.   

Click here for a list of emergency numbers.

 

So to update you, the BIG sign melted until it burned, part of it fell to the ground while the guards and all the bystanders looked up at it, dodged it and the cars kept driving into the parking garage that was under it.  The entrance to the parking garage was just to the right of the fire, parts of the sign were falling right next to it (literally) and fire sparks were falling IN the entrance.  And they kept.  on.  entering.  Why?!

Someone suggested turning off the electric to the signs.  They did eventually - I think after they realized the fire was not going to put itself out.  I have no idea what took them so long.  Neither do I have any idea why it took so long for them to open the freaking door right next to the parking garage and pull out the water hose and spray it up onto the fire.  After all, the door said FIRE on it.  Maybe they thought the fire was in it?

I think it took the fire department 20 minutes to get there (1 truck), and they took 5 minutes watching it to decide what they were going to do, and finally got out a high pressure hose and sprayed water on it to get it out.  Maybe.  Steve and I could see fire under the facade on the side, but maybe they got that out after we gave up and went into the mall that was on fire.  We never saw that happen though.  They never, ever, ever stopped the cars from entering or the people from standing 10 feet away from it - and worse than that, the people kept entering the mall!  It was the craziest thing I have ever seen here.  They need training from the fire department in the states.

Best yet... the restaurant under the fire?  Kept. on. serving. as the water from the hose was going down over the windows.  Do you see a problem with all of this?  I just don't get it.  Mall was jam packed full, restaurant full, fire door with hose nearby, garage steadily filling up and the side of the mall was on fire and men and women standing under the fire looking up and eating their meal.  How did no one get injured?  They ran out from under the melting plastic and fire balls when it dripped down.  Lucky for them it was 30 feet up or so - and they had time.

And finally, this is the second fire Steve sees in the last week - the last one was a Ferrari going up in flames downtown.  I told him their better not be a third time.  Don't let it happen again Mr.  Fires are not cool and the third time is not charming.

Thankfully, this fire apparently just melted the sign and the outside of the mall facade and did no serious damage.  I will know tomorrow morning when I get up and check to see if it burned down during the night from leftover embers.  The fire department didn't hang around long enough to check that out.  And they never did keep people away from the danger.  Bet they were parking and racing into the mall to eat roasted fish.

Now why did I elaborate on leaving my purse here?  Well, if I went purse-less, did I have a camera on me?  Nope.  Nada.  Did not.  Did not have purse, which caused me to not have camera which made to not take pictures.  Great idea I had there, eh?

I hope you have a good imagination.

Ugh.

Come to think of it, if I didn't have my purse, I didn't even have a phone to call the fire department, right?  There!  So that my friends is why I didn't call the fire department.

Off to enter the emergency numbers into the phone I did not have.

Hope you do too.