Woke up at 130 this morning to an explosion. Went downstairs and saw my garage was engulfed in flames. Got everyone out of house and started fighting the fire. My neighbor came and helped so we had 2 garden hoses on it. The Fire Dept came and finished up putting it out. We got really lucky and the fire stayed petty much in the garage. 2 of our motorcycles are totaled but the car came out much better than I expected. I guess we will know more when the sun comes up.

I suppose for a fire in the house we came out lucky all the animals and people are fine... I guess I will see how good my insurance is soon.

Oh My! So sorry to hear about your fire! Thank God everyone was okay! You can replace things, but you can't replace people or animals! Do you know how it started?

Hopefully the car didn't suffer too much damage, but if it did, that's what insurance is for. Good luck with everything and again - glad everyone is okay!

here are a few pictures...

more....

Fire is a very scary thing - sure glad everyone including pets are ok. Wish you the best with all repairs. All of us car nuts need to have fire extinguishers handy...I think that I will buy one today..... maybe two.

Good luck

Randy

Wow! Just keep thinking, it could have been worse! Looks like you might need a paint job if you can't buff it out. At least the car wasn't burned!
Do they know yet how it started? I'm always so scared about fire in my house. I think I'm going to go home and check that my smoke detectors are working.

Calif Girl,
You were really fortunate to have stopped that disaster in the nick of time - WOW! Thank God that you, your family and pets made it out okay, and like others have already said, the insurance will help you guys out ...

Oh my God CALIFGIRL!! I am so grateful that you, your family and pets are alright! Fires are absolutely terrifying.
My best wishes to you all in your recovery

********Donna

Glad you and yours were Okay CALIFGIRL. Remember, "things" can be repaired or replaced. The most important thing is that you all got out without harm. Hope the recovery goes fast and smooth. God Bless.

Steve in Missouri

Thanks to you all for the good thoughts.
Looks like i now need a new paint job, new windows, a little body work and I am not sure what else.

When the fire was out we moved the car out of the garage,now she is leaking gas. So I'm not sure what else is going to need to be done.

Anyone know of a good place in Southern Cal I could taker her to?

Anyone know of a good place in Southern Cal I could taker her to?

Southern Cal? I heard of a couple of restorers...hmmm? Chip Foose? Boyd Coddington? :wink: They may be a bit pricey but being in Southern Cal you have a wealth of auto restorers to choose from and I'm sure someone can give you a lead on a reputable shop.

Cheers!

Thanks to you all for the good thoughts.
Looks like i now need a new paint job, new windows, a little body work and I am not sure what else.

When the fire was out we moved the car out of the garage,now she is leaking gas. So I'm not sure what else is going to need to be done.

Anyone know of a good place in Southern Cal I could taker her to?

Glad everyone is OK. That is the most important thing. If I may give you a word of advise from someone who went through almost the identical situation.

1. Contract with a private adjuster to take on your insurance company. I don't care who the insurance company is, they will try and take advantage of you every step of the way.

2. Contract with a collector car appraiser/adjuster for your car. Same as above, but sometimes it can be even worse. I had an experience this past winter where the underwriter for Haggerty sent people out who do not understand classics and were actually trying to apply depreciation on parts needed, then they tried to say they would only pay for part of this and that because it was what they termed betterment, and to make matters worse they tried to pay book prices like they were dealing with a 2005 Escalade or something. Just protect yourself.

RedGTvert is right... Years ago someone poured a caustic substance on my roof...it ran all down the sides of the car and the insurance company wanted to SPOT PAINT it!!! (This was a classic car insurance company too). Another time a large dog ran out from the right, into the street and smashed into my scoop...the insurance company replaced the scoop and GTCS logo but they actually wanted the rest of the stripe kit!! They didn't get it. .....and I never could find the dog. Do be careful and insist on what you paid for!

Know the cause of the explosion yet? Get that gas drained out too! Don't need another fire.

~~~~Donna

CalifGirl,

Thank God everyone is OK. Sorry to hear about your car, though. I'm sure you can find someone to bring it up to its former high standard.

Joe

The arson investigator from the Sheriff's Dept was here yesterday. His opinion is the fire was accidental. He says an electrical cord hooked up to my air compressor started it.

I had been up for about 36 hours and exhausted mentally when I talked to him. He told me his opinion of what caused the expolsion, but I do not remember enough of it to explain it. Something to do with fires and the way they act... It blew the garage door out about 2 feet in the middle and broke the windows on the top row...Actually that was kinda good, it enabled us to fight the fire with hoses from the windows...

I am dealing with 3 different insurance people, one for the house , on for my melted Gold Wing and one for the Mustang. It is keeping me busy.
Thanks again for all the good thoughts, love you guys. I still need to find a good place to take the car to. Anyone?....

By the way,the arson investigator suggests a smoke alarm in the garage. The house smoke detectors did not go off until I opened the door leading to the garage from the house and discovered the fire.

I`m so sorry to hear about the fire CalifGirl. I lost my house to fire 10 years ago and it was devastating. We were lucky to get out alive. It was a faulty electric water heater and breaker.
I suppose the fuel lines and electrical wiring on your CS are all melted. That may explain the gas leak. You`re lucky the car did`nt blow up too. I`m so glad you and your family are alright. Take care

...
Anyone know of a good place in Southern Cal I could taker her to?

Check it out:

http://www.californiaspecial.com/forums/showthread.php?p=31153#post31153

Wow! So sorry to hear your news Calif Girl. I'm sure you're devastated about the property damage (GT/CS especially), but as you already said it's the people/pets that are important.

The fact that your GT/CS was leaking gas when you pulled it out makes it sound like you really lucked out. If that had caught before the fire was put out it could have been a lot worse.

Hope your insurance dealings aren't too unpleasant. It's not like you haven't been through enough already.

By the way,the arson investigator suggests a smoke alarm in the garage. The house smoke detectors did not go off until I opened the door leading to the garage from the house and discovered the fire.

I agree. I installed a smoke alarm in my shop that has an outside strobe light and siren. If a fire starts in there, the whole neighborhood will know it (tested it accidently when I pushed the button on the smoke alarm to test the battery). It cost about $150.00 but I thought it was well worth it.

Steve

I agree. I installed a smoke alarm in my shop that has an outside strobe light and siren. If a fire starts in there, the whole neighborhood will know it (tested it accidently when I pushed the button on the smoke alarm to test the battery). It cost about $150.00 but I thought it was well worth it.

Steve


Steve, Where did you get that kind of setup? Was it homemade or was it a kit that one can buy? Thanks.

~~~Donna

It was kind of a kit. It took a bit to find the paperwork (I save every receipt, just like my cars) but it is a BRK smoke detector-model RM3 and an Edwards Signaling AdaptaBeacon-model 868STR(R)-N5 electronic horn/strobe. I had a friend who's an electrician get it for me from a electrical supply house.

Steve

Cool beans! Thank you Steve!