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ACK..I hate old houses sometimes. DH and our son were putting in the new toilet..which in very old homes like this one..we knew could be time consuming with problems. Besides having to replace dry rotted flooring underneath, we discovered the old toilet was put in really stupid and there was no flange and the cast iron pipe was cracked. DH & son decided it would go quicker to use a cut off grinder to remove the bad cast iron. They both assured me the sparks would not be a fire hazard..
That is until I heard DH calling me from the basement asking me to get him some water..
By the time I called 911, he was back upstairs in the bathroom cutting the wall out behind where the new toilet will set. A spark had took hold in the open wall space where the vent pipe/soil stack goes up.
As the VFD sirens were blaring, I pulled in the garden hose and handed it to DH.
In the meantime, my daughter took my granddaughter and the dog outside. She hollered for me to get her kitty..he'd never been outside before so as he and I were going outside he grabbed the screen door with all his might and wouldn't let go. I got him peeled off the door just as the first fireman was showing up. The smoldering century old loose pieces of oakum inside the wall was already out.
The firemen used thermal imaging and assured us there were no hot spots..
My 6 yr old granddaughter says.."Grandma I have something to tell you..lets never ever ever get another new toilet."
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