Don't do this

7thswan · #1 11/08/10, 10:24 AM

My neighbor came over yesterday, she had just tried to put her cow in with our cattle to be bred. Anyway, she says she had a big disaster yesterday. She put some lighter fluid, then changed that to kerosene, into her wood burner to light it. Went outside, came back in and lit the match. The fireball removed her eyebrows,eyelashes and most of the hair near her face. Burned the hand that held the match, pretty bad, it looked like it would blister probably today. She immediately jumped into the shower, thankfully her little boy was not at her side while she was lighting the fire. Please be careful folks.

Common Tator · #2 11/08/10, 10:49 AM

She put lighter fluid and Kerosene in a wood burning stove? She is lucky to be alive!

7thswan · #3 11/08/10, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Common Tator

She put lighter fluid and Kerosene in a wood burning stove? She is lucky to be alive!

Ya, first she said it was lighter fluid, then she said kerosene later. I'm not sure which one it was, I didn't ask. I was kinda stunned. The thought of putting something like that in "stove' of any kind wouln't occur to me.

Bearfootfarm · #4 11/08/10, 11:13 AM

There must have been some coals left in the stove or that wouldnt have happened

bee · #5 11/08/10, 11:18 AM

My DUMB woodstove moment happened when I put a shoebox of old pantyhose in the woodstove..the glass window got dark so I opened the side door where I load it to see what was going on and the resultant fireball backed me up real quick! No damage, just one of those lessons that if you survive you don't repeat.

hobbyfarmer · #6 11/08/10, 11:33 AM

I hate stories like this. So glad she's ok!

I'm terrified of our wood stove. I certainly use it and I appreciate it, but it's a love/hate kind of thing. Thank goodness for Cabin Fever and HT. I might have thrown lighter fluid in there, too - if nobody had walked me through using this monster, first.

silverbackMP · #7 11/08/10, 11:36 AM

We've used light fluid more than once at my parent's house (their stove in an antique round oak pot bell). You just gotta stand back a foot or so when you throw the match--a little common sense. If your eyeballing it, your asking for trouble.

Our Little Farm · #8 11/08/10, 11:39 AM

Thank goodness she is ok. This could have been a much different post. I hope she never uses lighter fluid or kerosene again.

bee · #9 11/08/10, 11:43 AM

May I suggest a gift of "fatwood" firestarter for Christmas? Easy to use, smells great and environmentaly friendly. LOL!! No I don't sell it..I am getting together my order for Christmas gifts of this as I type.

Patt · #10 11/08/10, 11:43 AM

Oh my goodness! Glad she is ok and her little one wasn't nearby!

7thswan · #11 11/08/10, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bee

May I suggest a gift of "fatwood" firestarter for Christmas? Easy to use, smells great and environmentaly friendly. LOL!! No I don't sell it..I am getting together my order for Christmas gifts of this as I type.

Yes, I was thinking of makeing her some starters out of wax and sawdust. She has 4 kids and it would be a good learning project. They were all in the room when it happened, scared them bad. Thank goodness nonne got hurt.

Belfrybat · #12 11/08/10, 12:29 PM

I use kerosene or diesel mixed with wood ashes as a fire starter. Just mix it up in a coffee can until it is crumbly. A couple of Tbs. under the grate works like magic. I've also made sawdust/ candle firestarters but they sometimes leave a residue. But neither of the above will fireball.

WindowOrMirror · #13 11/08/10, 12:34 PM

My sister-in-law was out burning some leaves the other day and they weren't starting up, so she poured gas on them. A LOT of it... then struck a match. The parts of her that were not covered became immediately evident as they were bright red with blisters. She was LUCKY. It knocked her down and a great portion of it missed her.

R

suitcase_sally · #14 11/08/10, 12:41 PM

Kerosene is not "explosive". I've been using a cotton ball soaked in kerosene to light my wood stove for years. Yes, it burns, but is not "explosive".

geo in mi · #15 11/08/10, 12:51 PM

Grandpa had a tin can of coal oil(pretty close to kerosene) in which he would place a corn cob to soak(the tip, not the whole thing). Lit Grandma's wood cookstove that way for years........ But not saying you should do likewise.....

geo

Bearfootfarm · #16 11/08/10, 01:30 PM

She may have used "lighter fluid" as in the type you'd use in a Zippo.

That would explain the flash.

CHARCOAL lighter or kerosene wouldn't have done it

Michael W. Smith · #17 11/08/10, 01:34 PM

Apparently you need to teach the neighbor the "old fashioned" way of starting a fire. A couple sheets of newspaper crumpled up and on top of that, small slivers of wood and sticks. Once that gets going, then you add the bigger stuff on.

I can't believe that people use flammable liquid to start fires in their house. On the charcoal grill OUTSIDE - yes lighter fluid, but NEVER gas or other things.

I can just see someone who wants to get a big fire going quickly dumping two cups of gasoline in their stove. They don't notice as it runs out the door and onto the floor. 1 match and POOF - huge fireball that is going to send them across the room and they run outside to watch their building burn to the ground.

We think we've "mastered" fire. But yet the mechanical problems (along with stupidity) shows otherwise. It's about this time of year where you hear about some fire almost every week.

Your furnace that worked fine last year, is now another year older and has sat idle for the last 5 months. Please get your heating systems checked by a pro every year!

As for wood burning, coal burning, corn burning stoves, there should be mandatory classes that people go to so accidents like this don't happen!

beowoulf90 · #18 11/08/10, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7thswan

Yes, I was thinking of makeing her some starters out of wax and sawdust. She has 4 kids and it would be a good learning project. They were all in the room when it happened, scared them bad. Thank goodness nonne got hurt.

Good!

I really wish people would learn to build a fire instead of using lighter fluid, or kerosene etc..

I hope they will be okay and that the burns are serious

7thswan · #19 11/08/10, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael W. Smith

Apparently you need to teach the neighbor the "old fashioned" way of starting a fire. A couple sheets of newspaper crumpled up and on top of that, small slivers of wood and sticks. Once that gets going, then you add the bigger stuff on.

I can't believe that people use flammable liquid to start fires in their house. On the charcoal grill OUTSIDE - yes lighter fluid, but NEVER gas or other things.

I can just see someone who wants to get a big fire going quickly dumping two cups of gasoline in their stove. They don't notice as it runs out the door and onto the floor. 1 match and POOF - huge fireball that is going to send them across the room and they run outside to watch their building burn to the ground.

We think we've "mastered" fire. But yet the mechanical problems (along with stupidity) shows otherwise. It's about this time of year where you hear about some fire almost every week.

Your furnace that worked fine last year, is now another year older and has sat idle for the last 5 months. Please get your heating systems checked by a pro every year!

As for wood burning, coal burning, corn burning stoves, there should be mandatory classes that people go to so accidents like this don't happen!

I've been trying to teach them some things, they are "new" to homesteading and are having a good time. But some times , there are just too many issues. Like yesterday when she came over, she had put her heifer in with our cows. Their cow headed right thru our electric fence, and then went under a high spot in their wire.. She came up to tell me this. Then she tells me how she put out rat poison, and their Jersry cow ate the pellets, cause the kids didn't put them up as they were told. Now they are having to give the cow, shots of vit.K. And the fire story. I can't tell you how many times the kids have left the gates open. Yup, they moved out here and jumped head first into every kind of animal ect. that money could buy. They are so eager, but oh it gets interesting. Nice enough people tho.

Little Quacker in OR · #20 11/08/10, 05:53 PM

Oh my dog, you are in trouble 7thswan!!!!! LOL I remember when we got new neighbors when I was a teen in the cabin "next door" to us. That means across the arroyo south of us bout 1/2 mile away on the shoulder of Mt Whitney, He had retired from the airline designing industry and she was a cute housewife. Wonderful people but let me tell you, they were one disaster after another.

Yes, he appeared on our door step one AM face covered with smoke and no eyebrows etc. And yes, tried to start the stove up with gas. Off to town my dad went to take him to the Doc( 9 miles). Then when roofing their cabin the rolled roofing got away from him, "rolled" down and knocked the wife off the ladder. Off to town my dad went to take her to the Doc. Broken ankle.

THEN, he wanted to shoot a coyote sooo bad he asked my dad for the leavings from slaughtering a shoat and dumped them off down the hill from his cabin, waited with breathless anticipation for a "wild coyote" to show up and shot the tail off the wife's cat. Off to town my Dad went to take him AND the cat to the Doc after the wife hit him up 'long side the head with some stove wood for hurtin' her cat. They lasted for a year and then that was all she wrote. Things were kinda dull when they left.

I had forgotten all of that until I read your post. Thanks for the laughs and maybe your neighbors won't stay long. I do HOPE you have done your neighbors the ultimate favor and turned them onto Homesteading Today! Might save their lives!

LQ