The evening sun cast long shadows on the ground. The slanting rays of the setting sun gave warm orange tingle to the sky. My family and I had taken my grandmother to a nearby restaurant to celebrate her birthday. As soon as we placed our orders, there was a loud explosion coming from the kitchen.

Flames shot out of the kitchen and devoured everything that went in its way. Everyone ran towards the two emergency exits but to our disappointment, both doors were tightly shut. Pandemonium broke out and the entire restaurant was as cacophonous as a fish market. There was much pushing and shoving as we made our way to the entrance. In the process, a few people fell onto the ground. By then, half of the restaurant was engulfed in huge flames. My father called the fire brigade. Soon, some people passed out due to inhaling too much carbon monoxide. Thankfully, there were a couple of kind souls that helped my grandmother and our family out to safety. My whole family, including my grandmother, managed to get out of the restaurant safely.


There was a small group of people stuck in the restaurant still. Just then, several fire engines and ambulances pulled up and rescue work soon began. The unfortunate souls who suffered from major burns were sent to the hospital while the rest escaped with some minor abrasions.

After one long hour, the fire was finally put out. At that point of time, the weight of my capacious bag could not measure up to the weight of my heart, the one that ached far more but I was relieved that my family was safe and sound at the same time. After much investigation, it was found that the fire was caused by a short-circuit.

After much consideration, my family decided to celebrate my grandmother’s birthday on another day.