Thanks, you guys are kind. A little long, but here is part 2.

I walk out the door to the landing, take a couple of steps down, and walk to my car. I open the trunk and place the small blue container inside. When I was inside, I didn't even consider rescuing "things", but at the same time realized I could take one item without slowing my exit. In the blue container, about 12"x8"x8", was all of my negatives and some prints. No art really, just memories. I'm not a sentimental person, or wasn't then anyway, but that's what occurred to me at the time. Nothing else seemed important. Why were they all in one container? To protect them from dust. I once lived in a house where the furnace went nuts, and filled the air with soot. A lucky accident.

It's a bit chilly out, 30 is probably about right, and it's snowing a bit but I'm warm. I consider moving the car further from the house, but figure I have time for that later. (I did.) I walk toward the back of the house, to the group of firemen looking at the scene. Three departments on scene.

Lots of people here talk about EDC. What did I have with me? As long as I can remember I've always kept everything from the day before in my pants, so that if I got up in a hurry I would have it. This also helps with my being a late sleeper, and being excellent at losing things. Each morning I simply transfer everything from old pants to new, and double check that I have everything. So to finally answer the question: front L pocket - cash, spare car and house key; front R pocket - Gerber LST, handkerchief, Arc LS flashlight, ball point pen; back L pocket - wallet w/ ID's and credit cards; back R pocket - blank paper and work ID; clipped to R pocket - work Blackberry. In my coat I had a pair of polypro glove liners. All things I normally carry, nothing special.

I'm standing beside a Deputy Sheriff and one of the fire chiefs, talking with the deputy. I don't remember what we talked about, probably the 'you live here? anybody else?' type of thing, but I seem to remember it drifting to small talk. He asked if I needed anything, or something to that effect, and I noticed he seemed cold. He hadn't taken a heavy coat or hat from his car, so he headed back to his car to warm up.

At this time they don't know exactly where the fire is, except that it's in the walls somewhere. I take out the Blackberry, and send an email message to my boss that I'll probably be late today and explain why. It's still dark out. This was a strange feeling - I'm comfortable, warm, and safe, I have email, and my place is on fire. Part of my reality was not in my control, but a large part of it was. At one point one of the firemen asks me to describe the layout of my apartment, so they could more safely enter from that side. These guys were great, and it was nice to be able to help them a little.

The fire itself was difficult to find. The landlord's wood stove was plumbed into an existing chimney, which had been incorrectly patched, probably decades prior. The defect allowed for the buildup of creosote, and also provided an escape for the resulting chimney fire into the structure of the house. The chimney had been cleaned that summer, but not inspected. The firemen located the fire with the help of handheld thermal imaging. It had been smoldering for a long time, one of the 12" or so beams was charred much of the way through. My feeling is that if they had randomly opened up walls before finding the fire, the place would've gone up like a Christmas tree. As it was, they saved the house, but there was a lot of smoke damage, water damage to the most of the 1st floor, and some structural damage, including one of the rooms in my apartment.

After the fire was out, I was allowed in to grab anything I really needed. It was steamy and a little smokey inside, dreary, and wet. I took my notebook computer and bag. I don't remember if I took the rifles/handguns that morning or the next day. In the car I had a change of clothes in a bag, just always kept a set there. I drove to a nearby hotel and checked in, explained the situation and that I wasn't quite sure how long I might be staying, and went to bed. I asked for, and got, a room on the first floor. After a couple of hours sleep, I called work where they put me on speaker phone. It was nice to have that support. Then I had a waffle, and called my insurance company. I called work again and asked if they could find me a spare Blackberry charger. I left mine at the apartment.

I ended up living out of a suitcase for several months, and then buying a house. Went through cleanup and storage of what was salvageable from the apartment, which was most of what I had but not all. Some things I still haven't unpacked or sorted.

Points I took from all of this: 1) In the desert, from reading here and elsewhere, I understand the 10 most critical items are all water...and I believe it. In this part of NY, in the winter, it's a good warm pair of boots, dry socks, a warm waterproof/windproof coat w/ hat, money, and good friends. Not necessarily in that order. 2) The time you have to respond to something may be measured in seconds, and there's a good chance it won't happen in daylight or when you're awake. A survival kit isn't just for camping. 3) Having a change of clothes in the car was handy. Having a full kit in the car including money and spare ID would've been better, although in this case I didn't need it. What if something happened and I had to go through a decon trailer? 4) Smoke damage is huge. If you haven't been through it you'll have trouble imagining it. 5) Being warm and comfortable in time of crisis is great. 6) Accidental preparation still counts. Unfulfilled plans to prepare don't. 7) Having an off site set of important documents and images/photos would be a good thing.

Questions/comments welcome, even if it's "what were you thinking when you did xxx??"