Adventures with fish tanks

Here is my latest adventure.  As I come home from a long work day and sit down on the sofa I hear what could only be described as a mad scientist electrical sounds coming from the basement, then banging, then the smoke detector going off.  I run downstairs and there is a lot of smoke.  My first thought is the newly installed water heater, or the basement lights...which were flickering.  I race over to the breaker and several switches are tripped.  The lights are out in half the basement but the smoke is so thick that I cannot stay to find out what it is.  I race upstairs, throw dogs outside, grab my phone, keys, and coat.  I'm fumbling around to dial 911 (stupid smart phones).  I throw open the door and wait outside while my house is potentially burning.
First on the scene are two policemen.  I tell them what happened and they tell me to stay out of the house, pretty obvious.  Still waiting on the fire dept. which I can hear coming.  The cops are like "Okay we out." and they leave as the fire department shows up, go running into the house with axes.     I'm thinking, please don't tear shit up...well I guess it doesn't matter.
Then two paramedics show up.  They keep asking me if I'm alright.  I have to convince them that I am fine even tho I am coughing, I don't need a $1200 dollar ride to the hospital.  Next I see the firemen carry in large blowers and they open all the windows.  I am assuming that the fire has been put out.  My neighbors are all watching now.  The firemen come out and tell me a power strip burnt up.  Then take me down to show me and give me a lecture about plugging in too many things to too many things.   Also one of my smoke detectors was bad.  So I get to feel like a dummy and my neighbors got a show.  AS it turns out, only a small power cord burnt up because I found water had creeped down onto it from a bubbling air pump and fused two plugs together.  Electrical and water never mix well.  

It could of been a lot worse.

Oh WOW!!   I'm so glad your house wasn't actually on fire.  Although I guess it could have been, yikes!  Thanks for relating the incident and the reminder to be prudent with our aquarium/water and electrical connections.  Again, I'm so glad you, Brad, dogs, fish, and house are all Ok.  Do you have smoke damage now?

Glad everything was Ok!

DZ