Shop Disaster

[Forrest Price]

Well, fellow family of woodworkers. tonight was a bad night. A heater in one of my doghouses caught fire and spread to my shop. got the dogs out fine. Faucet was frozen so no water, and shop extinguisher was no match. Shop was fully engulfed and we lost it all. new powermatic lathe, big griz tablesaw, 17"bandsaw,, all my special timbers, pen blanks and kits, turning blanks, burls and crotches, everything. no Christmas presents for the relatives from my shop this year.

I'm thankful it didn't spread to any houses or neighbors, but we had a lot of personal stuff stored in the loft which is gone forever, as well as all of our Christmas stuff. So much for decorating this week.

It's 1:40am now, fire crews are gone, and I've got to watch for hotspots. Will check back in with you all later. Stay safe, check your faucets, and get bigger extinguishers..if you ever need it, it's horrible when they run out when you're gaining on a fire.

Forrest

PS, I turned my entry for the itty bitty contest tonight. It was the last thing I got to do in my shop. Seems kind of funny. Teeny tiny little things were the last thing I got to do. Oh well, I'll post the pics tomorrow, at least I had them inside.

[Bob Noles]

Forrest,

I am so sorry to read of your loss. I always hate to hear of these type of things and especially around the holidays. On the bright side, at least no one was injured or killed. Material items can be replaced, but loved ones cannot. I do hope your insurance was up to date and that should ease the pain a little.

Thoughts and prayers will be with you during this time.

[sascha gast]

I am so sorry to hear that, makes me really sad.
I feel for you, even though at least you got you dogs out and the family is healthy it is still very sad.
my holiday prayers go out to you

sascha

[Karl Laustrup]

So sorry about the loss. Glad all living things are safe.

Rebuild bigger and better.

Karl

[John Bailey]

Forrest,

I can't imagine the pain you're going through right now. Like others have said, good that you were able to save the dogs and nobody got hurt. We'll all be thinking about you. Hang in there.

John

[Richard Gillespie]

I can't imagine the loss you've just experienced. I'm so sorry to hear what happened. I'm glad to hear no one was hurt.

[Chris Barton]

So sorry to hear of your loss Forrest. I am glad that you, your family and animals are safe. It is the time of year that this kind of thing is more likely to happen but, that doesn't make it any easier to take.

[Shane Harris]

I'm so sorry to hear that.... Like everyone here has said, thankfully no one was hurt. That's the main thing. Hopefully, the insurance won't be any hassle at all and in a few months, you'll have an even bigger shop to go play in... :)

Shane

[Michael Stafford]

Forrest, I cannot imagine your loss. I would be devastated. What a terrible thing to happen at any time of the year. But there is some consolation that all of your dogs and your family are safe. The rest of the stuff, as precious as they are, are just things and are replaceable.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Forrest......I'm so sorry to read of your loss! I'm glad you were able to get the dogs out, no one was injured and it didn't spread to any houses! You'll be in my thought and prayers in the coming days.

[Fred Anderson]

So sorry to hear of your loss Forrest. As the others have pointed out, at least you, your family, and your dogs are alive and well. I really hate to hear of things like this happening.

Fred

[John Hart]

Forrest - I can't imagine the sense of loss you feel. I'll be thinking about this for quite a while. Glad it wasn't worse and you sound like you are in "ok" spirits considering what just happened. Thanks for taking the time to share with your Creeker family. Our thoughts will be with you.

[Andy Hoyt]

That's really horrible Forrest, but I'm heartened to hear that no one was hurt. Put your faith in your insurance agent, and SMC. If there's anything we can do to help, please ask. And by the by - where are you located?

[Bob Winkler]

Forrest, so sad for your loss. I can't imagine how you're holding it together so well. I'd be a basket case.

Please, if we can do anything to help, just ask. You won't be going through this alone.

Bob

[Keith Burns]

Forrest, I like the others, am sorry for your loss. I can't imagine. I too am thankful you and your family are OK. I wish a speedy recovery and God Bless.

[tod evans]

my condolances forrest, i hope you`re able to get back on your feet quickly. being a dog lover i`m glad you where able to get them to safety. tod

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Forrest, I am sorry to hear that you lost your beloved shop and other personal effects!! I am sure it is very hard.

I am glad to hear that your family, friends and pets are safe, that is the main thing.

[Tyler Howell]

Ugh!! Just gives me a sich feeling all over.:(
Sorry and a speedy recovery.

[John Miliunas]

Forrest, that's truly horrible news,:( though I am happy to hear no lives were lost, including those of your dogs!:) As others have said, build bigger and better! Hope to see you making sawdust again real soon!!!:cool:

[Mark Singer]

Really sorry to hear about your loss Forrest! Hang in there

[Kent Cori]

Forrest,

I am truly sorry to hear about you shop being destroyed. The good news was that all people and pets are well. Hopefully insurance can cover the cost for replacing your lost tools and materials. Unfortunately, you'll never be able to replace the personal items you lost.

Although I know it will be hard for you to get in the spirit, I wish you and yours happy holidays and a better new year than I know you have experienced in the last few days.

[Forrest Price]

That's really horrible Forrest, but I'm heartened to hear that no one was hurt. Put your faith in your insurance agent, and SMC. If there's anything we can do to help, please ask. And by the by - where are you located?

Hey andy, we're in Lewiston, Idaho.

Thanks to everyone for their kind words of support. It's going to be a long haul I imagine. Can't recall what our homeowners covers,never needed it before, but I think it was replacement. Going to the bank & insurance later today after fire inspector gets thru. Will hopefully have good news.

[Jim Hinze]

Forrest, I'm sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what your going through and I'm glad you got the Dogs out... I wish you a speedy shop recovery.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Forrest.....I'm in Lewiston, Idaho too! If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know....I'm in the phone book and I'm taking this week off.

[Carole Valentine]

Oh Forrest! That just makes me feel sick to read your post. The good news is that no people or animals were injured and the material things can be replaced. Is there something we can learn from this tragedy to prevent it from happening elsewhere? What kind of heater was it and do you know how it malfunctioned?
It will take a while to rebuild, but I'm sure you will. When you are ready, maybe we can have a "Forrest Wood and Tool Drive" to get you off and running.

[John Miliunas]

Oh Forrest! That just makes me feel sick to read your post. When you are ready, maybe we can have a "Forrest Wood and Tool Drive" to get you off and running.

Great idea, Carole! Thankfully, I've not had the need to "test" out my homeowner's insurance but, from what I understand, few if any actually do a full replacement on anything!!! :mad: Forrest, you give us a yell when you're setting back up!!!:) :cool:

[Bill Stevener]

Hi Forrest,
It is always very frightening to hear of someones losses, however heartwarming to know all family members are safe and well.

My best wishes go out to you and your family for a speedy new shop raising (and filling), a new dog house for the family pets, and most of all, in your time of loss, A very Merry and Happy Holiday.

Hope everything works out for you,
Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:)

[Forrest Price]

Carole, it was a heatlamp that started it. weird too, because that same lamp has been installed on the back of the doghouse for 5 years or more with never a problem. I think the dog must have knocked some insulation or something in front of the lamp and it ignited the box. It was one of those "red" lamps they use for baby chicks and such in the big aluminum housing. Hole in the doghouse was cut out to the diameter of the housing so there would not be any wood near the lamp. As I said, worked great for years, but the foam insulation was getting scratched up by the dogs, and I can only guess that it got down in front of the lamp.

[Mark Cothren]

Like others have said, very sorry to hear about this - but glad there were no injuries or deaths.

[Travis Stinson]

Same here! It's sickening to imagine what you're dealing with, but I'm very thankful it wasn't worse. Good luck with the insurance company and hope you're back up and running soon!

[Jim Becker]

Oy, veh! What a horrible thing to happen. I'm glad you, your family and your dogs are safe, however. Everything else is "a material thing" and can be replaced, relatively speaking.

[Rick Smith]

I'm adding my "ditto" to the incredible loss you feel right now. I have been extremely careful to "fireproof" my shop, but to have it come from outside is even more devestating. Hope it turns out well in the end - much as I dislike insurance companies. God Speed, and hope you're back spinning soon. - From Eagle, Idaho.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Sorry to hear of your loss Forrest. Happy to hear no one including the dogs were hurt. I think I am going to take a day this week and check in on my insurance to make sure things are up to snuff. Take care.

[Robert Watsek]

So sorry to hear of your loss Forrest, I cant add anymore to what has already been said here so I will just say you will be in my thoughts and prayers.

_________________

Bob

[Forrest Price]

Well, so far we've found out that none of the tools will be covered since we didn't have a seperate rider for them, and the shop is questionable. The hope for that is that we had a gravel drive put in to it and there was automotive goods in there as well as 4 wheelers. 1 4 wheeler was damaged and is not covered either since it too would have needed a seperate policy. Learning things the hard way here. Kind of an escaped horse/closing barn door type of thing, but I know I'll be well insured after all this is thru, though most likely with a different company.

Will keep you all posted on how the building part turns out. Sure am gonna miss that big powermatic lathe though. hardly even had it broken in.

Thanks again for all the support and kind words. It really does mean alot to us and is helping us get thru all of this garbage.

Forrest

[Mark Cothren]

Man, that insurance stinks! My company (Farm Bureau) insures my shop up to 10% of my home value. And the same for the contents - up to $2,000 per tool. No extra rider, no extra money on the premium.

[Bruce Page]

What a horrible thing to have happen! I can’t even fathom the pain you must be feeling. Fortunately no lives were lost.
Hang in there, you’ll get through this.

[tod evans]

forrest, please talk to your lawyer,they are used to dealing with insurance companies. tod

[Forrest Price]

folks, wish I could blame it all on the insurance company, but I teach my kids to take responsibility for their actions, and I've always done the same myself. We take the lumps when we deserve them.
turns out when we transferred the deed on our property (buying it thru really close friends) we neglected to add our names to the policy. Oversight on all our parts and a very hard lesson learned. Insurance won't cover the tools since they did not belong to our friend. Not about to lie about any of them either. Just not our way. we suck it up and try to move on. It's a good example for our kids to be responsible for what they do, and to make sure they get all the t's crossed and I's dotted when doing anything.

[John Shuk]

Very sorry to hear about this. It stinks. I hope getting back to normal comes easy.

[Roger Los]

Forrest, sorry to hear about your shop but was heartened no one got hurt.

Now I'm bummed about your insurance. (My insurance agent is sick of me :) --I'm constantly calling to make sure I'm covered for various things, mostly car stuff...but you can be sure I'll be calling today about some homeowners/liability stuff.)

[Fred Anderson]

I got the same response as Mark when I asked about my tools. Everything is covered at replacement value up to the value of our policy. I'd check deeper into your insurance...something doesn't sound right. We have Nationwide Insurance if that helps any.

Again, sorry for your loss.

Fred

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Forrest.....Again...I'm sorry about your loss! I want you to know that I just got off the phone with my insurance agent and bumped up the coverage on my new shop. Though it's not totally finished, I've put more into it than I'd realized and my current coverage wouldn't cover it if it was to go up in flames. My tools would more than be covered by my homeowners insurance.
Good luck!

[Blake McCully]

Forrest, repeating everything everybody says. Real tough break. Just had a meeting with our agent about three weeks ago, didn't even think about the shop since it's in the basement. Gonna revisit that! Let us know if and how we here at the Creek can help.

[Doug Shepard]

Forrest
Sorry to hear about your disaster. Even though no-one was hurt, it's got to suck knowing you've got to start over shop-wise. Had a bit of a close call myself the weekend before last. I was resawing veneers all morning and went inside for a coffee break and to warm up. An hour later when I went back to the garage I smelled something awful before I even got the door from the house to the garage opened. Found the garage full of smoke and the large pile of sawdust by my new MM16 smoldering. Not sure what sparked it but there was a black spot of sawdust about 12" diam in the center of the pile. Plus the hose from my shop vac was laying right there so about a foot of the hose melted which was what the nastiest part of the smell was from. No actual flames and nothing but the vac hose was damaged. Thank God I didn't wait longer before going back to the shop. The whole experience gave me the willies and I can still smell it. Your loss reminds me of how close I came to being in the same boat.
Don't know if you've ever sold any of your woodworking projects, but if so don't mention this if/when you try to pursue this further with your insurance company. It could make the difference whether they would consider it as homeowners vs business type possesions.

[Ernie Nyvall]

Forrest, I am glad to hear that everyone is okay. So sorry to hear about the rest of it though. I just can't imagine. Hang in there, our thoughts are with you.

Ernie

[Harry Pye]

Forrest,

I'm really sorry to hear of your loss. But take heart in the fact that only "things" were lost and not people or animals. Things can be replaced, humans can't. I know you feel badly but think of how bad you would feel if someone was injured. If there was some way we could help... How about it moderators? What can we do?

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Forrest. I know that there are many who have expressed how bad they feel, but I wish to add mind to theirs. My only hope is that you had a good inventory for the insurance guys. Glad you and yours are safe.

Bruce

[Zahid Naqvi]

Sorry to hear about your loss Forrest. In the bigger scheme of things, the tools and lumber are replaceable, be happy that your dear ones are safe. Consider it a lesson learned.

Coincedentally I was talking to a few insurance guys today and all of them ask me if there are any other structures on the property besides the house, even asked me about goods I may have stored at other locations.

Many folks have suggested that you take pictures of all rooms in the house and put them is a safe place, a fireproof box or a locker, just incase something like this happens and you have to prove your pesessions.

[Jack Savona]

You know how much our hearts are with you. I, for one, admire your courageous attitude. May the future winds be at your back.

[Ken Garlock]

Forrest, you have my sympathy particularly during this Christmas season. As said above, it is fortunate that no one was injured. Tools and wood are replaceable, but people are gone forever. Don't let this loss discourage you, it is just that you have a new big project for next spring.

[Dennis Peacock]

Forrest,

Like many others here have already posted, I'd be a total wreck if my shop caught fire and I lost everything. I simply can NOT imagine what you have just gone through. My thoughts and prayers are with ya buddy. May you recover better than every before.

Gotta go check on my fire extinguisher in the shop.;)

[Jim Ketron]

Forrest Sorry to hear the bad news!:(
Glad all was safe and no one was hurt!

[Fred Anderson]

Bravo Forrest!! In such a trying time your morals and values are shining through. Just think how much better the world would be if more folks were like you?

You are a fine example of what is right in our society when most examples are the exact opposite.

Fred

[Mike Forsman]

Forrest,

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss.

Mike

[Rich Stewart]

Dang Forrest. I'm really sorry to hear about the fire. I know what I would be feeling if it happened to me. Keep us posted on your progress to rebuild. I'm with the rest of everybody, If there is anything we can do to help, let us know. Really glad to hear everybody is ok. I'm a very sentimental person and place great value on things so I have an inkling of what you are going through.