How can we sell our house, when everyone is scared off by the vacant burned house next door? [more inside]
posted by leahwrenn on Nov 17, 2009 - 9 answers

Before the sharp steel razor became generally available, what did most people shave with? Fire seems the best choice. Right? [more inside]
posted by penciltopper on Nov 9, 2009 - 35 answers

Less than a year ago, my SO left a pan on the stove and the rental house burned. Now, the owner's insurance company wants her to pay. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 20, 2009 - 13 answers

We want to add a wood stove to my wife's studio, currently under construction. Is outside combustion air a must or a maybe? [more inside]
posted by ulotrichous on Oct 7, 2009 - 8 answers

I have a two part question about fires and making firewood. The two parts are related so I assume this is fine... [more inside]
posted by dance on Sep 17, 2009 - 14 answers

Vermont Mystery Filter: Help me prove it was arson. [more inside]
posted by Xurando on Sep 1, 2009 - 16 answers

Tomorrow I have to take psychological testing for a firefighter job. If anyone has been through anything similar I'd appreciate any advice. [more inside]
posted by brevator on Aug 26, 2009 - 9 answers

Our cast iron skillets caught fire. Can they ever be used again? [more inside]
posted by specialagentwebb on Aug 22, 2009 - 20 answers

Bizarre question. Where would I get a fabric tested for flammability in NYC on a Saturday? Asking for a friend, I assume it's for a theater production going up tomorrow night!
posted by roomthreeseventeen on Aug 14, 2009 - 5 answers

how to empty the fire escape as quickly as possible in the event of NOT a fire [more inside]
posted by Tandem Affinity on Aug 2, 2009 - 18 answers

[Spoilers for Song of Ice and Fire books] Why is that Arya Stark... [more inside]
posted by tylerfulltilt on Jul 21, 2009 - 7 answers

2-Part question: 1) Why did my wok catch fire? 2) Why did it turn blue? [more inside]
posted by chicago2penn on Jul 20, 2009 - 8 answers

I want to add soot as an element to one of my paintings. How do I create soot? [more inside]
posted by ieatwords on Jul 13, 2009 - 9 answers

I type the word iphone a lot knowing It should be spelled iPhone but I'm lazy and would rather just right click it and correct it. I know I can right click it and add it to the dictionary but what I want it to do is give iPhone with the capital P as a suggestion. I have already added iPhone to the dictionary but dont want to add iphone because its the wrong spelling. My friend complains about the same problem when it comes to Facebook he spells it lowercase and wants spellchecker to give him the option of spelling it with the capitalized F. Just as it would if he typed amsterdam and it would suggest Amsterdam with the capitalized A. Is this possible to fix? Thanxs in advance.
posted by antisocialiting on Jul 4, 2009 - 5 answers

SmokeDetectorFilter: When my smoke detectors go off and I press their happy buttons, why don't they shush? How do I make them shush? [more inside]
posted by foooooogasm on Jun 26, 2009 - 17 answers

Does anyone remember and know where I can find an old Flash animation that I saw on the internet years ago, which featured hopping bunnies, the floating head of Margaret Thatcher, and a jaunty song containing the word 'ja!'? [more inside]
posted by chrismear on Jun 18, 2009 - 6 answers

When will the pan catch on fire? (kitchen) [more inside]
posted by red_rika on Jun 4, 2009 - 15 answers

Can unplugged irons cause fires? One of my housemates (Housemate A) observed that my other housemate (Housemate B) put the clothes iron back into the cupboard without letting it cool down. How dangerous is this? [more inside]
posted by tomargue on May 16, 2009 - 16 answers

Asbestos, mold and spores! Oh my! Slightly afraid of the burned down building next to me. Should I be? Details, and a heartwarming metafilter-related story inside. [more inside]
posted by fontophilic on May 15, 2009 - 6 answers

What is the meaning of the Benjamin Franklin quote: "The proof of gold is fire; the proof of woman, gold; the proof of man, a woman."
posted by GhislainTwo on May 2, 2009 - 12 answers

Trying to find a friend find a book she remembers reading as a child, fantasy genre, wizards, kids with magic, and it was a trillogy! Better description (kinda) inside [more inside]
posted by Syntoad on Apr 10, 2009 - 5 answers

Sort of a two-part question, though answering the first part will help me answer the second. First, does anyone know of a (preferably online) way to search for plays by topic or subject matter? Searching for title keywords is sometimes useful but not ideal, and I haven't been able to make the search functions at the major playhouses' websites play nicely either. Second, in particular, I'm looking for plays about, referencing, or otherwise related to fire, smoke, etc. Any thoughts on either? [more inside]
posted by hatta on Apr 3, 2009 - 9 answers

My apartment has a ceiling sprinkler system and one of the heads that has descended slightly from the ceiling. Should i worry that the sprinkler head will go off? [more inside]
posted by slhpatterson on Jan 29, 2009 - 9 answers

My friend rents a house. The house burned last week. My friend has renter's insurance (probably not enough) and the landlord has homeowner's insurance (only $30k - definitely not enough). The fire inspector just announced that my friend's electric mattress pad shorted and caused the fire. Is the landlord's insurance company going to come after my friend? [more inside]
posted by workerant on Jan 21, 2009 - 2 answers

Beeping fire alarm. Should I be alarmed? [more inside]
posted by jujube on Jan 16, 2009 - 20 answers

CFL bulbs -- cracking, smoking, sparking? [more inside]
posted by jfwlucy on Dec 8, 2008 - 4 answers

I’m looking for examples of fire, water, and/or ice being used as religious symbols or in religious practice in some way shape or form. Help? [more inside]
posted by CitrusFreak12 on Nov 29, 2008 - 21 answers

When a candle is burnt indoors, what happens to the wax? An amount of smoke equivalent to the mass of the candle is released as it's burnt (?)--does this manage to escape the house, or does most of it stay in the room and coat the walls, floors, ceiling, etc.?
posted by mstillwell on Nov 23, 2008 - 25 answers

With regards to the recent LA/Orange County fires: has anyone done a Is-it-on-fire? web site similar to what the USGS has done with their Did-you-feel-it? earthquake intensity reporting site? [more inside]
posted by jaimev on Nov 15, 2008 - 4 answers

Investing/Day Trading -Why is it bad to pick stocks off the losers of the day assuming they will rebound? [more inside]
posted by SirStan on Oct 27, 2008 - 29 answers

I bought an Ikea Kassett cardboard box with drawers, and have rigged the bottom drawer for a power strip, top for my mobile gadgets power station-style. Is this a fire hazard? [more inside]
posted by GamblingBlues on Oct 25, 2008 - 5 answers

Can I use a fire pit in a screened-in porch? [more inside]
posted by Sar HaPanim on Oct 24, 2008 - 12 answers

Can I seal the inside surface of an exterior brick wall in my house without trapping moisture in the brick or in the insulation? [more inside]
posted by malp on Oct 20, 2008 - 4 answers

Is there any way I can get relatively current Washington, DC police/fire/EMT dispatch information onlineor on my desktop? [more inside]
posted by Inspector.Gadget on Oct 19, 2008 - 3 answers

My house had two fireplaces which were walled over by the prior owner. I'd like to reopen them and possibly retro fit them to be gas fireplaces. How horrible (read expensive and time consuming) of a construction job would this be? [more inside]
posted by 26.2 on Sep 19, 2008 - 6 answers

NYC-Renters-filter. How do I make my management company make the ass-hat neighbors upstairs stop using our patio as an ash-tray. [more inside]
posted by allkindsoftime on Sep 16, 2008 - 6 answers

What's-that-movie time! Featured character: a man wrapped in full-body bandages because he was in a fire. [more inside]
posted by curagea on Aug 31, 2008 - 12 answers

Which is more environmentally-friendly: matches or lighters? [more inside]
posted by chrismear on Aug 28, 2008 - 8 answers

Greetings, Hive Mind. I need to know if I'm going to start a house fire. [more inside]
posted by optimuscrime on Aug 23, 2008 - 26 answers

Name that DVD: A requiem performance, a burnt-out building, and footage of the fire that gutted the building. [more inside]
posted by nomisxid on Aug 18, 2008 - 8 answers

I set fire to a colony of tiny red ants. Now they have gone away. Why/how did this work? [more inside]
posted by cjorgensen on Aug 13, 2008 - 11 answers

Hypothetical Filter: Would someone be able to throw a cigarette out of their window and catch my car on fire? [more inside]
posted by thetenthstory on Jul 29, 2008 - 28 answers

My friend's apartment just burned down and everything she owns is gone. How do I help? Any advice for her I can pass on? [more inside]
posted by katemcd on Jul 10, 2008 - 29 answers

At what "proof" will most spirits burn? [more inside]
posted by eduke on Jul 1, 2008 - 10 answers

How to clean a fine porcelain teacup that found its way into a bonfire? [more inside]
posted by workerant on Jun 25, 2008 - 5 answers

What is wrong with my electricity? Lights started to flicker, circuit breaker didn't trip, circuit started to buzz, now afraid the house is going to burn down. [more inside]
posted by quin on Jun 19, 2008 - 16 answers

What was this guy on the street doing with a black iron pot on a spit that produced a gunshot-like sound? [more inside]
posted by 0xFCAF on Jun 14, 2008 - 18 answers

Our family is going to be reuniting at the historic cottage in St. Donat, Quebec. The agreement is that each person will cook dinner for all on their night. I have set myself (and my daughter) the challenge that we will cook everything that day on an open fire. Please help me. [more inside]
posted by Turtles all the way down on May 10, 2008 - 11 answers

I need to install some fireblocks (aka fire stops AND fire block[ing]) in my basement. What can I use to make these? Can I use regular sheetrock to make these or do they have to be some special type of sheetrock? If I can't use sheetrock, what type and thickness of wood do they need to be?
posted by tickettrader on Apr 22, 2008 - 9 answers

Where can I get 2007 MLS lettering for a Chicago Fire home jersey? [more inside]
posted by EasilyOdd on Mar 11, 2008 - 4 answers