Last year I had to go through this. My son left a pot of water boiling on the stove to sterilize his nebulizers, then forgot all about it. 3AM the smoke detector goes off, house is filled with toxic, acrid smoke from the burning plastic. At first I didn't know how bad it was, I just knew we needed to GET OUT!

Shoes, wallet, key ring and cell phone were all on my dresser and I grabbed them and my slippers on the way past. Kids and dog were ushered outside, the cats were being their typical antisocial selves and were left for the moment. Of course it was 40 degrees outside and raining.

Once all the people were safe I went back inside to see where the fire was and if anything could be done, while my daughter called 911. I found the burning pot -- it hadn't caught to anything yet -- moved it to the sink and turned-off the stove. Disaster avoided, but it took hours to clear the house of smoke, even using the high-power fans the fire department had with them.

Since then I've taken to keeping our 'go bags' out in the storage shed, in tight-sealing storage containers to keep pests out. I figure the extra minute or two needed to grab the bags out of the shed is a worthwhile trade-off to getting stuck outside in the cold and rain in your underwear and slippers. With hurricane Irene approaching, I will probably move them into our living room in case things deteriorate to the point that evacuation is indicated.

Oh, the cats wound up strolling out the open front door after a few minutes, looking disinterested in the entire situation. I locked them and the dog in my son's Jeep for safe-keeping until the smoke was cleared and the fire department left. They thanked me by wining the entire time to get out.