Speaking of appliances, friends who live on the next street here in Kaaawa, across on the other side of Makaua Stream, had their own appliance story at the end of 2014, which led to a bit of important appliance advice.

The story: A fire in their kitchen started when no one was home and came within minutes of burning their house down.

Our family was so very lucky for the quick-thinking and action of our neighbors yesterday. It could have been a lot worse. As it is now, no one was injured, one appliance is fried, a little bit of cabinetry is charred, the kitchen floor is icky, and there is soot everywhere. We’re waiting for the professional after-fire cleaners to arrive to help clean.

We’re all a bit on edge, still in a little shock.

You can read more about the fire and the aftermath at her blog, Rebekah’s Studio.

No, it wasn’t caused by unattended cooking, or recent electrical work done to expand their solar system.

The fire originated in their Bosch dishwasher.

She offered these tips.

–If you have a Bosch dishwasher manufactured in the United States between May 1999 and July 2005 and sold in the United States and Canada, know that there was a volunteer recall to repair certain machines. They were recalled because they were fire hazards. We did not know this. Perhaps we did not file the registration papers when we bought ours.

–After a fire, after contacting the insurance company, call the professionals to help clean up the mess, 1-800-SERVPRO. Have patience, try not to touch anything. From ceilings to floors, even on my computer screen as I write this, there is a fine dust that looks like pepper. It’s soot.

It took over a week of professional cleaning to remove the smoke and soot from the whole house.

Anyway, just a heads up for you Bosch owners with an dishwasher dating back before 2005.