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?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas.cameron24d 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.

kaiblack24d 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.