My coal forge almost caught my shed on fire last week

I was working on a simple leaf keychain in my backyard shop in Springfield, and a big ember popped out of the firepot. It landed in a pile of dry wood shavings I forgot to sweep up. I had to dump my whole 5-gallon water bucket on it to stop the flames from spreading up the wall. Has anyone else had a close call like that and what do you keep nearby now?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomas.cameron2mo agoTop Commenter

Ever notice how most safety rules get written after something almost goes wrong? Your story is exactly why my shop has a fire extinguisher mounted on every wall now. Water can make some fires worse, and sand is good but slow. A proper extinguisher stops it fast before you're dumping buckets. It's the same reason we have GFCI outlets in kitchens, someone got shocked first.

julia_jones721mo ago

Read a story once about a guy who lost his whole garage from a single spark. Honestly, it made me go out and buy one of those big fire blankets. You just throw it over the flames and it smothers everything. Tbh, I keep it on a hook right next to my workbench now, way easier to grab than fumbling with a bucket.

kaiblack2mo ago

Damn, that's scary. Keep a big metal trash can with a lid full of sand right next to my forge now. Way better than just a water bucket.