Fire and panic in the hotel

The ExtendedStay hotel in Carlsbad, California, USA continues to offer exciting experiences.

Last night around 1 am the pioneering photographer was not pioneering but peacefully asleep.
Well, as much as was possible because of the intense and continuous traffic noise next to the hotel room from Highway 5 where people speed from Los Angeles to San Diego v.v.

But then, suddenly, the sweet dreams were interrupted because the smoke alarm in the room started to deeply disrupt anybody around.

It was not immediately realized what was going on.
Inside those sweet dreams the alarm and screaming sounds were believed to come from another planet where were no orgasms and those responsible for it.

Now, fervent and loyal blog readers must know that the smoke alarm is right above the bed so a sleeper may want to believe to be on another planet with his favourite fantasy princess but eventually the strong and persistent and insisting noise will bring anybody back to the realization that a fire might be close.

Once in London, in a high towered hotel, a fire has been experienced.
And do accept that this is traumatic.
Jumping from the window was not an option.
Panic all around.
The thought coming to mind to lose life in a hotel fire.
Reflected in the faces of the other hotel guests.
Grabbing their belongings to run for their lives.

All the images and the feelings of that experience in London are still present in the memory and returned when the smoke alarm screamed in the ExtendedStay Hotel in Carlsbad, California, USA.

Death knocking on the door again?
Being on the third floor?
The swimming pool outside too far away to jump into?

Somebody was knocking on the door.
Persistently and desperately.
Some clothes were put on and the door opened.
A man from the hotel.
Asking if there was a fire in the room.

Looking in the corridor it was blue of smoke.
And a strong smell of things burned.
And many people in the door openings of their hotel rooms dressed in an unorthodox way.
Looking what to do.
Collect the most precious things and run for the stairs to get out of the hotel?
Or wait for things to come?

Also the smoke alarms in the corridor were blasting there screaming sounds.
What to do?

The door was closed and impossible to go back to sleep due to the turmoil of alarm sounds, work was continued on the computer.

When new banging on the door.
But more rough than before.

The door opened, a rare view of a human being.
An American fire fighter!
Dressed in a yellow suit making him look double his actual size.
Wearing an immense helmet and equipped with all kinds of tools looking like a small-town hardware store.

“Any fire in your room, sir?”, he asked.

They couldn’t find where the fire was!
Somewhere in a room but where?

The guy from the hotel appeared with a key fitting all the rooms.
Opening the rooms that were not responding to the knocks of the fire fighters.

Returning to the work on the computer eventually the alarm sounds stopped and sleep could be found again.

Next morning the girl at the reception was asked what the heck had been going on during the night.
Her explanation was that a guest had been frying a steak in his room and this had been going out of control.

One steak broiled.
Hotel turmoiled.