Fire accident

Brandy Punch

It has been a long time since I have written my last article, and since then something crazy happened.


Exactly two months ago we went to our neighbors to celebrate Christmas and have some time together. We had a lot of food and a nice atmosphere. Everyone that came added something to the table.

But the highlight was the brandy punch the adults made. Brandy punch is a drink we Germans love. It's heated dry red wine in a bowl with a sugar head on top. Now the sugar is soaked with alcohol and then lit on fire. The sugar melts, crystallizes, and then drops bit by bit into the punch. It's perfect for winter, because it is a warm drink.

Now the point is that after some time all the alcohol is burned. New alcohol has to be added so that it continues burning. When you do that you should consider that alcohol is easily flammable. So pouring it out of the bottle might not be good.

You can guess what happened.       Expand

One of our neighbors always added the new alcohol with the bottle in the past. Every time nothing happened, until this time. The fire went into the bottle and caused an explosive outward movement of new alcohol, which caught on fire as well. Then it flew directly on my sister. Her face, above the breast and left arm were on fire. Gladly she wasn't on fire for a very long time. The neighbor that had poured the alcohol immediately jumped to her and tried to extinguish the fire with his hands. Another neighbor brought a jacked shortly after and was able to put all the fire on my sister out. He then took her into another room and continued to the bathroom with her. He put her under the shower and let her shower herself with water until the emergency crew came.

While all that happened I myself had a kinda funny experience. When I looked up from my delicious cake seeing my sister burn I started screaming, like all of us. I remember, jumping up and in my lack of knowledge wanting to get some water for Emi. Now I have learned that it is really unwise to try extinguishing a fire like that with water. Well, I ran into the kitchen where somebody had dropped a bowl and I realized that I had no house shoes on my feet anymore. I had throne them off after I jumped up. I guess I had thought that I might be faster when I didn't have them. ^^ Well at the end I had a very small splinter, but nothing to talk about. ;)

I still wanted to get some water though; because the table was still on fire. When I heard someone scream "No Water!!" The fire exploded as somebody did not listen and the fire grew bigger. Gladly all of us understood now, that water would only make it worse. Some got a blanked and extinguished the fire with that - actually now nothing looks like it had been burned. Not the table, not under the table, just not anything. Even the cloth of Emi only had a small hole (nothing big). That is a wonder in itself. It only smelled burned for the next few days in the house.

in the hospital
with the self-made Christmas star

Now, the story does not stop here. While Emily came into the hospital and was nursed there I was left home alone. My parents went with her and my brother was at a music concert. I immediately called some people to pray for Emi and the neighbors that did not feel well after all that. I think Sam might be able to remember how I had called him - perplexed as I was. ;)

After some time I actually had peace in me. I brought everything to God. And then I was able to go down to the neighbor and send him peace. I hugged him, ensured him everything is going to be well and prayed with him. Later I even read Bible verses to him.

Now her arm looks much better!

3 weeks later

Now I will make it a little shorter, with what had happened after this horrible 22nd of December Day. Emi was in the hospital for only five more days, packed as she was with linen around her face and linen on her arm we didn't think she'd make it out so quick. When the day came, the doctors took her bandages in the face off. It didn't look well, but anyways. GOD is great! In less than two weeks her face looked so well again, that she could go back to school unashamed. Because of that, she only missed the first three days after the Christmas break.

Now nothing is visible anymore. Emi even said it would feel like two years ago instead of two months. :-)

I can only praise God for what he has done. The enemy tried to destroy something there, but instead the exact opposite had happened. We grew closer as family, still had a great Christmas and actually it was more about Jesus this time instead of presents. (The last gifts we unpacked 4 days late) ;D Also all of us in the house grew closer, we held together. Last but certainly not least our church prayed for my sister and stood right behind us, covering our back.

A lot of friends of Emi went into the hospital and visited her, so that she was not even able to listen to an audio book. She just had no time for that. Sometimes more than 10 people were in her room wanting to know how she was and wanting to encourage her. But every time it was the opposite way. Emi was more an encouragement to the people, because she had no grief in her and she knew, that it would turn out good in the end.

At last I can say it was horrible, but it turned out to be a great time.

Emi 2 months later