How do I explain this situation ?

[MetalSlug]

I recently move to apartment , a really nice one too, have garage , we not allow to BBQ in the balcony, but we allow to grill 20 feet away or in front of the garage, I grill pretty much every saturday 90% of time.

well I did some rib today and after went back to my home, and come back out, i saw bunch of smoke came from the trash dumpster , and I saw a car their too, she was freaking out, she say your trash can on fire, I went in and get some water try put it out, the neighbor end up using fire extin and put it out, it was a big fire. I have no idea how that happen, but my garage where I grill is so closer to it, im affair they blame on me. I throw some stuff in there early, but nothing that could start a fire. the maintainer man that working on the apartment did put the fire out with water hose.

there an elder lady told me that she heard pop sound early like fire cracker, before the fire start.

I did wrote everything down and time and what i saw, incase they call me on monday.

the thing that bother me was, how peoples blame other so quick, some neighbor was give me that weir look, because I was grilling. but I dint throw anything in there that could start a fire. I throw away my trash that from my home early and that was about it. usually i left my grill complete cool off and clean it out and dump all the ash inside a zip lock bag and throw it in the dumpster, that after let it complete cool off over night or 4-5 hours later.

now I dont know what to say to the office if they call me and ask what going on.

 

[Astro14]

Overnight is not long enough for the coal embers to go out. 4-5 hours is definitely not long enough. You may have started this fire. Accept that.

A good friend let his charcoal grille sit overnight after cooking. The next afternoon, he dumped the ashes in his trash can. That night, 24 hours after he let the cooking fire go out, a fire started in his trash can. Burned down the can, the adjacent fence, and his boat.

I think you got lucky.

 

[MetalSlug]

Overnight is not long enough for the coal embers to go out. 4-5 hours is definitely not long enough. You may have started this fire. Accept that.

A good friend let his charcoal grille sit overnight after cooking. The next afternoon, he dumped the ashes in his trash can. That night, 24 hours after he let the cooking fire go out, a fire started in his trash can. Burned down the can, the adjacent fence, and his boat.

I think you got lucky.

good to know, but i dint put anything in the trash that can start the fire, last time i dump the ashes was 2 week ago. idk any other possible thing that can start the fire.

 

[Astro14]

Then tell them what you told me.

The amount of time you let the ashes cool.

You may still be blamed. Nobody else put ashes in the trash, right?

For future, put the ashes in a metal can, add water. Stir. Let sit for a couple hours. Then dump in the trash. Only way to be certain.

 

[MetalSlug]

Then tell them what you told me.

The amount of time you let the ashes cool.

You may still be blamed. Nobody else put ashes in the trash, right?

For future, put the ashes in a metal can, add water. Stir. Let sit for a couple hours. Then dump in the trash. Only way to be certain.

there always some one to blame right lol, if they want they can check the camera, camera are every where here, only thing i dump early was trash from my home, other then that, i stay at my grill in front of my garage at all time. I tell them how its if they ask .

 

[Dennywires]

Is this a shared dumpster? Others trash on top of your ash could have started it.

 

[MetalSlug]

Is this a shared dumpster? Others trash on top of your ash could have started it.

like i say i dump the ash was 2 week ago , and they come and pick up every monday morning, the dumpster was almost empty. I dont think this lead to no where, if they call, i say idk what happen. I properly be at the place at the wrong time . Some one properly throw a cigarette . Or old firecracker and Texas heat ignite it . Grass burn here by the highway all the time .

 

[dlundblad]

You didn’t anything wrong. Grilling is allowed in certain areas and you did just that.

It isn’t your fault a fire randomly started. I would definitely mention that the older lady said it sounded like a firecracker.

Tell them to look the camera footage over if needed. You have nothing to worry about.

 

[skyactiv]

Lets look at it from a complex mangers prospective.

I'd look at the video footage. Most likely the video isn't going to show anything in your favor like a pothead throwing in a lit blunt end or kids tossing in fireworks in a dumpster.

So the next logical choice is taking the word of the maintenance guy. What renter MetalSlug says to me means little.

What the old lady tenant says means little as fires make crackling/popping sounds which could be what she heard.

I have a choice to make. My first offer is tell you, nor anyone your aquatinted with are no longer allowed to grill, smoke or use any heat source
to prepare food outdoors on the property. If you get caught, it will be an automatic eviction.

Or I could tell you to leave by Sept 26th 2021. I'd file no eviction and I would deduct any expenses from the deposit and refund you the rest.

The last thing you want is an eviction on your record. Even one that was filed but never decided on will show on your record.
With an eviction on your record, the only place that will rent to you will be in a dumpy area on the bad side of town.

Is the complex owned or managed by a property group? If so and once you're told to leave or evicted, that particular group will no longer let you rent from them.

My guess is that your days of grilling food at that complex are over but you won't get kicked out.

 

[Jetronic]

Maybe someone doesn't like you grilling...

 

[Lubener]

You shouldn't have left the grill unattended. Who knows what happened.

You say "now I dont know what to say to the office if they call me and ask what going on."

Sounds like you have a guilty conscience already.

 

[MetalSlug]

You shouldn't have left the grill unattended. Who knows what happened.

You say "now I dont know what to say to the office if they call me and ask what going on."

Sounds like you have a guilty conscience already.

So you stand by your grill 7 hours while you smoked a brisket ? Or come check every 1 hours ?

Last night I was little lost because I was in shock . My mind is straight now . I dint do anything that could start a fire . There plenty peoples grill here too. And plenty peoples throwing stuff in the dumpster . When the fire start it just happen that I only one grilling at the time. There are 2 peoples are grilling down there right now . They can look at the camera .

 

[4WD]

OMG - a real life dumpster fire !!!

 

[4WD]

My bbq pit has a tight lid … but my fire pit does not. Grabbed one of the big dish shaped fire pits on clearance
(my pit is heavy steel) just to have a lid to put on it … Wind is fairly well blocked - yet blows towards rocked area and swimming pool … Still set alarm to check it before bed time …

 

[4WD]

So you stand by your grill 7 hours while you smoked a brisket ? Or come check every 1 hours ?

Last night I was little lost because I was in shock . My mind is straight now . I dint do anything that could start a fire . There plenty peoples grill here too. And plenty peoples throwing stuff in the dumpster . When the fire start it just happen that I only one grilling at the time. There are 2 peoples are grilling down there right now . They can look at the camera .

What kind of pit … Old Smokey or ?

 

[mk378]

I think your first post says that the coals and ashes from your cooking were still in your grill when the fire broke out in the dumpster. And you were using the grill in the designated area. And that is all you need to say.

 

[ecotourist]

Maybe it will all blow over.

If they ask, just tell them what you told us.

 

[Burt]

By the way, how were the ribs? Any left? Maybe you could share some with the office manager while you talk this over.

 

[Rmay635703]

I put out my coals when finished and my used coals go into the flowerbed

 

[blupupher]

I am having a hard time following what happened.

So you grilled some ribs in your grill using coals.
You went inside and came back out to what on fire? You say both dumpster and trash can. Those are 2 different things.
Were the coals still in your grill?
Was whatever it was on fire a common area or only you had access to it?

From what I am able to understand, you had nothing to do with the fire, so what are you worried about?
Dumpster fires happen all the time, most times unintentional, many times caused by chemicals.
One of the reasons dumpsters are made of metal.