I would venture that most people would say they’d save their pets first if their house was on fire, after their human family members, of course.
As for me, I think I’d probably save all my old family photos because those can’t be replaced.
As for the rest of it, it would be a shame to lose all that stuff but it can be replaced over time.
What would you save first if your house was on fire?
Here’s what AskReddit users had to say about this. Take a look.
1. Important memories.
“Retired Firefighter here, when I was a kid our house burned down.
As time went on, it was the family photos we missed the most. I always grabbed photo albums when I saw them.
The owners often cried when they realized the photos were saved.”
2. Gonna need ’em.
“My receipts. I have renters insurance.
“Yes, I’ll take a refund for everything I bought in the last ten years, thanks.””
3. You’re not alone.
“I would most definitely stuff a cat under each armpit and stuff my bird down my shirt and run out the door.”
4. Grab your axes.
“Assuming my family and dogs are safe and my important documents are in the safe where they belong I have a couple guitars that have sentimental value to me.
I’d grab those.”
5. Be prepared.
“If my kids were inside, my kids.
If the house was empty, I’d grab my emergency bag packed with cash, clothes, and food for 2 days.”
6. Important stuff.
“In the hallway closet there is a box containing all of my families photos. I would grab that and get it out as soon as possible. Any photos on the walls are copies.
If I had time the next thing would be my home server. It has a s**tload of important files and about 10TB of movies and TV shows which would help pass time in the hotel or wherever after the fire.
I also have a bunch of ammo not in a fireproof safe so I would want to get that out so it doesnt go off and hurt anyone.
But the pictures are #1 priority. I plan on digitizing all of them but it’s a lot of work.”
7. That would suck to lose that.
“My cat followed by as many of my diaries as I can.
I’ve been keeping a diary/sketchbook/scrapbook for 26 years.”
8. Make sure you get it all!
“My boss reel to reel tape player, vinyl collection, pioneer turntable and analog receiver.
Probably the speakers if there was time.
The Grateful Dead Memorabilia, the Quicksilver Messenger Service poster, the macrame bead curtain, bean bag chair.”
9. Sssssss!
“My two pet snakes. The hard part would be figuring out how to get them out.
I only have one small tub and couldn’t house them together. So I’d need to figure out another container to keep the other one in.”
10. Good point.
“My phone so I can readily access my accounts/passwords without hassle, as I’ll surely need to deal with some logistical post-fire s**t.”
11. Makes sense.
“This actually happened to me a couple years back, what you want to save and what goes through your panicked mind are two different things.
Calm reasonable me says irreplaceable momentos and important papers.
Sadly panicked me thought, “Work laptop because I’m still going to have to go in on Monday.””
12. A personal story.
“My mom’s house burned down about ~8 years ago, not long after I moved back in my early 20s.
I was the only one home, but I kind of figured out a fire was about to erupt because smoke was pouring from the upstairs outlets and light switches, lol. My mom had just updated the bathroom fixtures, combining modern wiring with old knob and tube wiring. It… didn’t go well.
First thing I saved were the pets. We had 3 cats and a dog at the time. I could only find 2 of the cats, and the dog, put them outside as I called the fire department (the flames hadn’t started yet).
By the time I went back to look for the third cat and gather some valuables (laptops, photo albums, irreplaceable items) into a backpack, my mom’s entire bedroom doorway was a big ball of flames. Her house was built in like 1890-something, so the wood wasn’t treated – it went quick. Thankfully the fire department was like 2 blocks away and they arrived quickly.
The firefighters also couldn’t find the third cat, but this story has a happy ending. My parents had a water bed back in the day, and after it inevitably popped, they kept the frame and plopped a normal mattress on it. The frame had drawers and storage built in, and there was a small crack between the wall it was against just big enough for a cat to get in.
He was in there, and it saved his life… they said if he was hiding anywhere else (like just under a chair or a normal bed), he would have died of smoke inhalation, but the water bed frame protected him well because it was so enclosed. He’s living out his golden years with my mom in her nicely updated house thanks to the insurance money, so it all turned out well!”
What would you save first if your house was on fire?
Talk to us in the comments and let us know.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
