Near Death Experience & Saving Lives ...

It was a nice day, research was going on (as usual). We lived in a house only ~20 feet from the ocean. And then, it happened.

How fragile is life?

This is a near death experience with possibilities of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for the four victims (The homeowner, his wife, Teresa and myself). Right now, we're all alive.

Recollections from yesterday:

(1) I heard a noise coming from outside the guest house, the time was around 3pm.

(2) When I walked outside, Teresa and I were hit by a blast of hot heat hotter than when you open the oven door (and it was a windy day so that will tell you how close we were to the fire).

(3) The homeowner (male, 76 y.o.) attempted to put out the small fire that started in the main house with a garden hose. The situation became really awful ... when the propane tank exploded and blasted him (that must have been the sound we heard in (1).

(4) The homeowner's wife took the car and rushed for help.

(5) Help arrived only 30-40 minutes later (concerned locals only, there is no fire department on the island).

(6) By this time, the fire had grown and was blazing 30 feet into the air.

(7) The homeowner came over to see me and his face was grey, he had second degree burns on all four extremities and injuries to the abdomen from the flash.

(8) He sat down only 15 feet from the fire in front of our guest house and fainted.

(9) Within minutes of fainting, he was incontinent (loss of urinary control) and had urinated onto the floor.

(10) The fire was unmanageable and 50 persons arrived to attempt to put out the flames.

(11) The entire housing burned down even though we were only 20 feet from the ocean.

I would like to tell everyone more. Eventually, I am sure I will think about how Teresa and I could have died in the fire. Right now saving lives is #1, heroes and heroines are needed and there is no time to think about anything else. The situation is unfolding ... please send your best wishes for all involved.