Close call

Had quite a scare today. It was a little around 4PM today and I was busily updating our website as Ma'am Cherr was counseling a student on the benefits of finishing the school year and letting him weigh his own choices, while Mam Lucinda was clearing her table of quizz papers and stuff.

The other teachers barely left to go and teach their next classes when suddenly, loud popping sounds caused Mam Luz, Mam Cherr and the student to jump from their seats as sparks flew around the entrance to the faculty room. I was still sitting in front of the laptop (Thanks, KOICA!), my fingers still tapping the keyboard trying to save what I did. The lights went blinking on and off just like a Christmas light. It was like the fourth of July inside the Faculty Room.

After sitting still for a moment from shock, I heard Mam Cherr shouting for Sir Joe but then Sir Joe was way far from the room to hear us. She nudged the student she was counseling to switch off the main switches but to no avail. There were still sparks coming from above the door. Then we heard Sir Elvis outside saying that the wire supplying the room's electrical energy caught fire. Accordingly, he was about to enter the faculty room when the sparks started going off at every direction. Just as suddenly as the sparks and the popping sound had started, they also stopped.

I stuck my head outside the door wary of the fire and sparks above my head. I could see the worry and the fear in Sir Elvis' eyes as he told me that the fire was still burning. I rushed back in and prepared to leave the faculty room quickly before the fire burns in. Without even thinking of turning the laptop I was using off or even plugging it out of its socket, I rushed out.

Mam Cherr and Mam Lucinda were right behind me trying to get me to hurry. We ran outside as far as we could get from the sparks. Students from the computer laboratory just below the faculty filed out and calmly made their way to the quadrangle as well.

Sir Caligtan was then rushing toward the faculty room, all the while telling some of the boys to call the MOPRECO technicians. One of them ran as fast as he could and was back in less than 10 minutes bearing good news that the technicians were on their way. Sir Caligtan's initial inspection revealed that the main line short circuited, thus the cause of the sparks and popping sound.

The MOPRECO techs came and confirmed Sir Cal's inspection. The situation has somehow calmed down and things were going back to normal.The students' resumed their classes but with the lights off. For the meantime, the situation was solved.

Whew! At those few moments we were in the faculty room, I thought I would never see the light of day. Questions kept rushing up my head. What if the fire spread? What if we hadn't kept our cool? What if we didn't have the mind to pull down the lever of the mainswitch? What if we all panicked? What if the fire got bigger? What if...? Never ending questions flustered my mind. We never knew what would have happened if by then the fire just had kindled itself and spread. I shudder in fear to even think of what would have happened.

At the end of all these chaos and after a breath of fresh air and relief, we just laughed and joked about at the moments of stupidity and ignorance we committed in such a limited time -- what with me sitting still and not doing anything, Mam Cherr shouting for Sir Joe even though she knew Sir was far enough not to hear her, Sir Elvis hooked and frozen by the steps outside, and Mam Luz retrieving her paycheck from her desk drawer that she kept seconds before the scary experience.

Despite all the chaos and breaths of relief, we still thank the Lord that we were all safe and no one was hurt. My gosh! That was really a close call.