Fire in Samarkand

‘Whoever said the small things don’t matter has never seen a match start a wildfire.’ – Beau Taplin.

Fire!

It was nearly midnight. We were just settling down for the night. This was the first time we’d shared a room for a week or so and I had my headphones plugged in while Mum finished reading her book. Soon, we’d switch off the light and sleep. Tomorrow we had another busy day of exploring ahead of us.

I was already dozing when I heard it. A loud ‘swoosh’, almost like an explosion, loud enough to be heard over the music in my ears. I took my headphones out.

‘What was that?’ I asked, turning over.

‘Bethen! There’s smoke coming through the door!’

Mum pointed. It was like a bad dream. Thick black smoke was curling through the crack at the top of the door and spreading out across the room. You’ve probably seen it in movies or on TV, that moment when the smoke pours over the top of a door. Well, it’s really like that. I stared for a split second and then leapt into action.

‘FIRE! Mum! Get your passport – we have to go!’

Escape

There were no alarms. I’ve never moved so quickly but with such a clear purpose. In a second, I was out of bed and had grabbed the bag that contained my valuables and my phone. I slipped on some flip flops and was at the door in seconds. The smoke smelt acrid and burned the back of my throat.

As we swung the door open, we were met by a fog of dark, foul-smelling smoke. Just across the hallway, flames were leaping up the doorway to the bathroom.

‘Get down! Stay low!’ I yelled, remembering what I’d been taught many years ago by firefighters visiting school, ‘FIRE!’

We crouched and ran to the exit, clutching our valuables, coughing on the vile smoke. Thankfully, the door out into the courtyard was roughly twenty metres away. We were out in the fresh, cold night air in a matter of seconds, though it felt longer. Smoke billowed out of the open door in our wake.

Putting Out The Fire

The other guests, a Russian couple, were also in the courtyard. The family who ran the guesthouse were already in action, pulling out a hose, throwing water through the small bathroom window in an attempt to dampen the flames. Once I knew Mum was okay and we had established everyone was safe, I ran to help.

We threw bucket after bucket of water through the window. I was drenched, running on adrenaline. It seemed to be working, the fire didn’t appear to be spreading. We withdrew as the fire engine arrived and thankfully, within twenty minutes or so, the fire was out.

The Aftermath

Only once the fire had been put out did I realise I was cold, in just a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I shivered. I was wet through. Someone handed me a blanket. We sat as guesthouse owners, their neighbours and the fire fighters conversed, unable to understand the Uzbek as it flowed around us. Finally, we were taken into the owner’s rooms and told to take the sofas there. We lay under fleece blankets.

At one point during the sleepless night, I tiptoed back into the fire-ruined building and retrieved a few belongings. To my relief and amazement, our luggage was largely intact, bar some smoke damage. An acrid stench hung in the air and followed us for days after, clinging to our clothes and belongings even after they were washed and cleaned.

The Next Morning

We rose at 7am the next morning. It transpired that the fire had started because the burner in the sauna had overheated. The bathroom was a blackened mess, water pooled on the floor. Everything was covered in a thick, dark soot.

In a brief twenty minute interlude when the power was switched back on, I booked us another guesthouse and we left at 11am. We felt very sorry for the owners, whose livelihood was impacted by the fire. Their guesthouse would be closed for the foreseeable future while they repaired the damage and that meant a serious loss of income for them.

We were incredibly lucky to come out of the fire with only some smoke damaged luggage. The outcome of the fire could have been so much worse. Both of us were shaken but my main takeaways from this experience have been learning opportunities that I will employ when travelling in the future.

What I Have Learnt

Thankfully, in this instance, everyone was safe and there was no serious injury. The worst was the damage to the property, which as I mentioned, will sadly have resulted in a loss of income for the family. We were lucky that the exit was close to our bedroom, that we had the where-with-all to grab our valuables, that our luggage wasn’t damaged further. Most of all, we were lucky we weren’t asleep when the fire started, as the lack of alarms could easily have meant we could have been asphyxiated by the smoke before we woke. It simply doesn’t bear thinking about.

Now, when I travel in future, I’ll always make sure I employ the following six top tips to guard against fire and ensure I’m as safe as possible should the worst happen.

Always know your escape route

This is the simplest and best thing you can do ensure your safety. Know what floor your room is situated on. Check any windows to see if they open, how far they open, how big the drop is out of them. A lot of hotels have a map of escape routes – pay attention and be sure to check this information. The quickest escape route out of your room may not be the way you would normally enter or leave. Do not use lifts in the event of fire, under any circumstances.

Trust me. When there is thick, black, acrid smoke filling your lungs and flames are leaping up across the hall, it’s an incredibly disorientating experience. Don’t just assume you’ll know where to go. If it’s dark and the electricity is out, pre-planning and knowing your escape route could mean the difference between life and death. If you’re travelling with others who are staying in different rooms, set an agreed meeting point should the worst happen and ensure you collect there once outside and in safety.

Check for alarms – carry one with you if practical

We didn’t do this, it never even crossed my mind before! I’ve always naively assumed that hotels and guesthouses have smoke alarms, which is obviously just silly! Don’t be like old me. Check your room for alarms. Hopefully, you’ll have one. If not, there isn’t really much you can beyond be extra vigilant and hope that the alarm is raised in some other way (we shouted ‘FIRE!’ a lot as we ran out). Alternatively, if you’re very uncomfortable and can afford it, you could change hotel.

You could carry a portable alarm.

I’ve read a lot of reviews and information about these since the fire in Samarkand. I’ve not happened upon any alarms that are designed specifically for travel, and most alarms need to be fitted onto a ceiling to be fully effective (smoke rises). I also read one account where an alarm went off in someone’s luggage while travelling, causing some disturbance and slight chaos at the airport! Not ideal.

However, there are a few smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that are battery operated and look small enough to transport, so it is an option. I will not be taking portable alarms with me in future, but I will be checking for alarms in rooms. I’ll also check what other fire safety measures are in place going forwards and make provisions accordingly.

Keep your valuables close by

I always keep my passport, money, credit cards and other valuables together in a small bag. At night, this bag usually sits on the table beside my bed. In the past, that was largely because having everything together makes it less likely I’ll lose things, but since the fire I see this as a good safety measure.

Having everything in one place and easy to grab when we needed to escape in a hurry was a God-send. I knew I had the most important things without having to panic and worry about where different things were around the room. Being stuck abroad without a passport or money is my idea of a nightmare!

Keep a jumper / shoes nearby just in case

Thankfully, my flip flops were beside the bed so I just put those on as we left. Mum grabbed two jumpers she’d left on a chair and put on sandals she’d been wearing during the day. It sounds so simple, but if you’re in pyjamas / nightwear when a fire alarm goes off, having shoes and a jumper help maintain dignity and ensure you keep warm once outside. Leave a jumper and shoes in an obvious place before you go to bed each night.

Make sure you have travel insurance to cover you

Should the worst happen and you are injured or your belongings are damaged or lost, having travel insurance means you’re covered. If you need medical care, insurance will cover this and most travel insurance also covers loss of luggage these days too, up to a certain amount of money.

World Nomads is a renowned travel insurer, often recommended by others. I would also recommend Money Supermarket to compare different travel insurers and find one to suit your needs.

The same rules apply while travelling as they would at home

If the worst happens and your accommodation is on fire, the same safety measures apply as they would at home.

• Don’t be reckless. If it is safe to do so, follow your pre-planned escape route and meet at the designated safety point once outside. Never go back inside a burning building for any reason.
• Keep low to avoid inhaling too much smoke. If possible, wrap a water-soaked t-shirt or towel around your face to help prevent smoke inhalation.
• Check doors for heat with the back of your hand. If they’re warm to touch then you should assume that the fire is on the other side and find an alternative escape route if possible.
• Assume all fire alarms are real and act accordingly.
• If you’re unable to escape for any reason, block smoke from entering your room with wet towels or clothes if possible. Alert people to your whereabouts by shouting or dropping things out of your window.
• If you come in contact with the fire and your clothes catch alight, remember ‘stop, drop, roll’. This should extinguish the flames.

The Effects of the Fire

We both felt shaken after the fire for several days to come. The event definitely put a dampener on the last few days of our trip in Uzbekistan, although we did still have fun as much as possible. I think that the constant faint smell of smoke didn’t help!

Even now, nearly two months later, I got a bit emotional writing this post. Being involved in a fire is a deeply unpleasant experience. I catch faint wafts of smoke from time to time while in London or at home in Wales and I am instantly transported back to that night. I am continuously grateful that it wasn’t a lot worse.

From now on, when I travel, I’ll be a lot more careful about the accommodation that I book. Upon arrival, I will definitely be more vigilant about checking escape routes, safety systems and ensuring that my valuables are always close to hand when I go to bed. Thank goodness that this time, it is a cautionary tale to be passed on to friends and family and a blog post I can share with some practical safety tips and advice.

I sincerely hope that there is never another time.

Read more about our trip to Uzbekistan here.