My Refrigerator Caught Fire!
(Posted 2/26/2011) - I have a new refrigerator now. Last week I scorched the insides of my apartment refrigerator. It was really one for the record books.
I had a paper egg-carton on the kitchen counter next to the stove while I boiled a couple of eggs for breakfast. I put the egg carton back in the refrigerator without noticing that it's edge had begun to smolder. It continued to smolder inside my fridge and even melted the insulation next to the egg carton.
When I opened the door to my refrigerator an hour later the fresh air fanned the charcoaled egg-carton and it burst into flame. I closed the door and called my son!
Jon disconnected power to the fridge which was still running just fine but was now black inside with a melted spot next to the blackened egg carton. We called the apartment manager who sent over the maintenance man. Thirty minutes later they moved the now empty fridge out of the apartment. That was Friday morning (the 18th). By Tuesday morning I had a nice new refrigerator installed in my apartment. Jon and I went shopping to restock it.
During the 3 days I was without a fridge I stayed at Jon and Pat's during the day and took my meals with them. I still was able to sleep in my apartment. Because the fire was inside my refrigerator the smoke didn't get out into the rest of the apartment.
I told Jon I'd learned my lesson and would keep all flammable items well away from the stove burners in the future. My renter's liability insurance appears to cover the damaged appliance so I guess the story has a happy ending.