My storage unit is going up in flames, massive fire in whole building.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

We live in a marina and we kept hearing sirens, and then people yelling. Finally I looked out the window and a block away from us, huge flames and smoke billowing up in the air. Quite a heavy wind blowing in the other direction, otherwise we would have smelled the smoke, because it's warm here and all the doors and windows are open on the boat. When I walked down the dock someone said that the storage units next door are on fire. So, there go all my Christmas decorations and luggage and about a dozen boxes of stuff that certainly doesn't amount to much, but a lot of pictures and memory stuff.

The policemen said the firemen are having a tough time controlling it because of the wind, so I hope it doesn't spread to any of the houses on the other side. I'm pretty certain the boats in the Marina are safe, simply because of the wind direction.

Does anyone know whether those places carry insurance on any of the occupied units? Not that I had anything there of great value, but just as a matter of curiosity. Of course the time to think about that would have been when I first got the unit, but never crossed my mind.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

1. That really sucks.

Sorry about your pictures . . .

[tinfoilinfor2005]

13. Thanks.

Fortunately, most of the pictures I have, my daughters have duplicates, so it's not a huge tragedy. I'm more concerned about the houses around the units. A few older homes and not wealthy people, by any means.

We've had the unit for years. I bought shelving at the local hardware and carefully packed everything in rubbermaid boxes and had it all nicely organized. My husband laughed and said it was probably the fanciest storage unit he ever saw, so he nicknamed it "The Villa".

[MissB]

2. I'm so sorry.

That must be hard to watch that go up in flames.

I'm not sure of the answer to your question, but I thought that renter's insurance covered stuff like that.

[karlrschneider]

3. Well, crap. Hope your stuff is okay but more important YOU are!

...

[tinfoilinfor2005]

16. But Karl!!! What about my irreplaceable plastic Halloween jack-o-lantern??

:)

Thanks...and of course you are right. It sounds as though at this point no one was hurt. I just hope that the wind doesn't spread it on to the homes in the neighborhood.

[karlrschneider]

17. LOL! I'm somewhat familiar with your place, I lived in FL for 18 years.

And spent a lot of time in the keys. Sure could scarf down a couple of conch fritters right about now but in Oklahoma that's somewhere between "no way" and "tough shit".
:D

[qanda]

4. I'm sorry. That has to suck

Even though it's just stuff, it's still a loss. I hope the fire won't spread.

[Clark2008]

5. I'm sorry about your pictures. I need to take better care of mine

I so love looking at them when I have the time.

The decorations and luggage can be replaced, but those pictures... :(

Hope you're safe!

P.S. I think you can get insurance on storage units in much the same fashion as rental insurance. Sometimes the storage unit company or apartment complex will offer it.

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. Our storage place does...as a matter of liability.

I would call the management company and ask.

[Quakerfriend]

7. Oh, yes, they are insured.

My husband and I collected a nice amount when our unit was broken into. Several on the unit were broken into. We were asked to estimate the value of what we had and we received compensation without a problem.

Good luck to you.

[regnaD kciN]

20. Not always...

Shrugard (which recently merged into Public Storage) has it very up-front in their rental agreement that they do not insure the contents of your storage space, and advise you to arrange for insurance through your homeowner's policy.

[annabanana]

8. I'm sorry about the pictures and such like...

. . those are the things. . .

[hlthe2b]

9. sorry to say their insurance won't cover your valuables...

in most cases--only the buildings themselves...

My sympathies...

[ret5hd]

10. The storage company carries insurance for THEIR loss...

In all likelyhood you needed to purchase renters insurance to cover YOUR losses.

Tough luck, buddy. Hope it all turns out well.

[Suich]

11. I have no idea but am really sorry about you losing your things.

I would think insurance would depend on your rental agreement...doh. If you own the boat you live on, do you have any kind of insurance on contents/personal property?

Good luck!

:shrug:

[sandnsea]

12. I'm so so sorry

I've lost all that stuff in a fire too, it really sucks. My family was able to put together new picture albums though. Hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much they are able to pull out of their own collections for you. I was also able to replace a few of the really special pieces of memorabilia through Ebay. I even found an empty baby album exactly like my daughter's 1984 album. So keep your chin up. :hug:

[murloc]

14. Generally its up to you to provide insurance on storage lockers

for your contents. If you look at your contract you'll see that you have proably agreed to waive any liability for things like fire, theft etc.

Thats the bad news. The good news is that it is proably covered by your home owners insurance policy or possibly a renters policy.

So sorry to hear about this, I hope everything turns out ok and that nobody is hurt.

[flvegan]

15. Check your storage contract.

Most have an option for insurance. If you have it, you have it. If not, call your homeowners policyholder.

[dysfunctional press]

18. actually, i wouldn't mind seeing my storage place go up...

i KNOW that i've paid more in storage fees over the past two years than the crap is really worth- i wish it would all just go up in smoke, and do the dirty work for me.

[Subdivisions]

19. You live in a marina? Sound tres romantique! And a little

adventurous too :)

Sorry about your property loss but glad to hear no one was hurt.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

21. Thanks everyone for the good wishes and advice.

I just walked down there again and apparently two of the buildings (out of about twelve) went up in smoke, but the policeman couldn't tell me which ones. They evacuated the houses and no one was hurt. I'll find out tomorrow if "The Villa" still stands.

Whew. Maybe I'll have a little night cap now. :)