All About Fire (1976)

[Music] See that nice little house across the street? Everything peaceful and secure, right? Wrong. There's going to be a fire. Big explosion. I'd say it's bound to happen any time now. Oh, my name's Murphy and that's my house. I sure hate to see it go, but I guess it's too late to save it. It was only a year ago that I moved in there. That was the same day the Wilsons were moving in. It seems like just yesterday. I was new in the neighborhood myself the first time I saw Joe and Kathy. They sure had a lot of stuff. But you know, after sizing up the situation, I realized they were missing something important. Hey. Hi, Cat. That's what they were missing. Me. Kathy, is there any more trash we can burn in here? There's some out by the garage. They were too busy to pay much attention to me, so I just kind of made myself at home. Daddy, do you want to get rid of these magazines and old rags while we're at it? What old rags? Here, these. Joe, those are my sweaters. Oh, suddenly the fire got out of hand. Oh no. Kathy, call the police. What for? What happened? Fire. Fire. Get some water. Kathy, the whole place is on fire. What do we do? What do we do? It's a good thing the kid next door knew what to do. Hello, fire department. There's a fire at 11165 Pickle Avenue. The nearest cross street is Tuna Drive and my telephone number is 555321. Where's the phone? Wow, did we panic? That's one of the worst things you can do when there's a fire for tea or is it under city? Hello. Hello. Anybody there? Somebody help. Well, Joe called a lot of people and finally got hold of the Department of Water and Power. What do you mean you can't help me? You've got plenty of water, haven't you? Just as the fire department got here, thanks to the kid next door, Joe finally got the right telephone number. Okay, Johnson, let's take a line in the front. Rosen, get some water on the roof and hit those sparks. And Gonzalez, check out the back. Those firemen got right in there and kept the fire from spreading. By the time I got a look inside, it was out. The fire could have been prevented if there had been a screen in front of the fireplace. And you know, you shouldn't burn trash in your fireplace. Captain Roberts also explained that we needed a spark artor. That's a screen that fits over the top of the chimney to keep sparks from escaping. Then he noticed a few other fire hazards. First, there was all that trash that was piled up against the garage. He said that was fuel for a fire and it should be put in metal trash containers. Next, he pointed out something really dangerous. Joe had left the can of gasoline open in the garage where the water heater is. He said that the flame from the water heater could have ignited the gasoline fumes and caused a big explosion, especially if the can had tipped over and spilled. He also said that gasoline should be kept in a safety can with a round bottom so it couldn't tip over and spill, and that it should be stored as far away as possible from any ignition source, such as a heater. They promised Captain Roberts they'd be more careful about things like that. And sure enough, things settled down for a while until a couple of months later at the housewarming party. Ha, some party. Couldn't move, couldn't hear, and I've smelled better air in a garbage can. Then, to make matters worse, the lights went out. I got stepped on twice. Hey. Ow. Something bit me. Kathy, where are the fuses? Fuses? I I don't know. Uh, go look in the fuse box. Oh, rats. Never a fuse around when you need it. Nah, this penny will hold it until I get some fuses. Using a penny for a fuse didn't sound right to me. Well, the lights went on again and so did the party. I thought it would never end. They dropped cigarettes and they spilled drinks all over the place. Great party, Joe. Wow, will you look at this mess? We'll clean it up in the morning. Come on, Joe. It's awfully late and I'm tired. I I'll be right in. I just want to empty the ashtrays. Oh, look at these burns. Joe must have filled up three paper bags with cigarette butts and trash. Kathy, who used the paper cups for an ashtray? There's a big burn on the dining room table. People are sure careless. Well, finally Joe finished up and we headed for the bedroom. I figured we were all going to get some sleep, but I figured wrong. Kathy. Oh my gosh. Kathy, look what you've done. Kathy, wake up. You've burned a hole in the covers. What? Okay. Yeah. All right. First thing in the morning, I'll do it then. Right. Well, things finally settled down and we all got to sleep. [Music] Suddenly, something woke me up. Something was wrong. I couldn't figure out what it was, so I went to investigate. That was it. All those cigarette butts Joe had dumped into the trash had caught fire. Joe and Kathy were still sound asleep. I knew they'd never smell the smoke. I had to do something. Hey, what Murthy? What's going on? Why, you rotten cat? What's the big idea? Joe, what happened? What's all the racket out there? Smoke. Hey, something's burning. It's a fire, Kathy. Look, it's a fire. Don't get excited. Don't panic. Just stay calm. Everything's under control. Open the door. The door. Open the door. Joe was embarrassed that the firemen were here again. Oh, Kathy, you didn't have to call the fire department. I could have handled this little fire myself. Kathy was right. Calling us was the right thing to do. Even a small fire can get out of hand in a big hurry. And don't go running with something burning. Try to put the fire out where it is. Joel promised Captain Roberts he'd be more careful. And he was until one day last August. That was the day his nephew Bobby was visiting. That kid, he was as curious as a cat. Like all of us, he wanted to find out about everything. Then Bobby got curious about the matches. That made me a little nervous. And pretty soon, I found out why. Food's ready, Bobby. Now, where'd he go? There you are. What are you doing with those matches? You know, you could burn yourself with those. Say, you know what we used to do when we were kids? Here, watch this. Where is everybody? The hamburgers are getting burned. Oops. Uh, we better get back, Bobby. Well, we were halfway through our hamburgers when we heard the fire engines coming. I wonder what that's all about. That sounds like they're stopping right in front again. Well, it was hard to believe, but we had another fire on our hands. Our fence went up in flames, and so did our neighbor's garage. A total loss. Any idea how this fire started, Joe? I guess we shouldn't have been playing with those matches, huh, Uncle Joe? I see. Two kids playing with matches. Ages four. And uh you're 34, aren't you, Joe? Before he left, Captain Roberts noticed that the gasoline can in our garage was open again. Since you've been having so much trouble here, Joe, I think we better give your house a complete safety inspection. He started right down in the basement with the fuse box. Remember the penny that Joe put in to replace a fuse during the party? Captain Roberts didn't like that at all. He said a fuse was a safety device that blows out when too much electrical current is going through the circuit and a penny wouldn't allow the fuse to blow out. The wiring could overheat and cause a fire. In the kitchen was a good example of how they were overloading a circuit. They had too many appliances plugged into one outlet. Next, he showed them that it was dangerous to run electrical cords under rugs. the wires could become damaged and start a fire. Then he came to the wall heater with flammable material all around it. He said you shouldn't put clothing and papers and things close to heaters. Well, after all that, I thought Joe and Kathy had made things pretty safe around the house. I thought they'd finally learned. But then this afternoon, Joe was using the power mower and had left that unsafe gasoline can in the garage near the water heater. I couldn't believe it. But the worst part was that it had tipped over and spilled. Then they went off to the movies. So here I am waiting for the place to blow up. That was a good movie. You know something, Kathy? Captain Roberts is absolutely right. When we get home, let's check out the whole house. Let's make sure it's safe. That sounds like a good idea, dear. Uhoh. I wonder if I put the lid back on the gasoline can this afternoon. What was that? Well, looks like I'll have to find another place to live. Listen, if you hear a scratching at your door some night, that might be me. [Music]