Fire Extinguisher

[Bill Sheehan]

I may have told this before, so apologies. One hot night after a barbecue and a FEW drinks on the beach I was driving my MG TC home with the hood down enjoying the balmy air when I detected smoke coming up beside me. Apparently the top of the muffler rusted through and the flames came up and set fire to the floorboards, then the driver's seat. I jumped out before the car stopped rolling and when I realised I didn't have an extinguisher, i grabbed up handfuls of dirt from a resident's garden. Ran backwards and forwards doing this a few times before the resident appeared at the open window in his pyjamas & wanted to know what the hell I was doing. Told him, he rushed out and got his hose. I ran out with the hose nozzle and when it didn't quite reach the car I tugged harder. Turned out the fellow hadn't connected it to the tap to save time, just held it on to save time. My tugging caused him to get completely saturated (lucky it was a hot night!) but he wasn't happy. Result : fire out before the Fire Brigade arrived, I then sat down onto the seat which was a porridge of sloppy mud and ruined plants & flowers, started up and drove home. Told my mother and said I was afraid the mud probably ruined my trousers. When I turned around she noted the whole seat had been burnt out, only the rear pockets saving my skin. Told you it was only a few drinks. Cheers, Bill in Oz