Behind the family home...
... was a shared grilled drain partly covered by a partition wall with a nicely creosoted fence on top. On our side of the wall was a brick built outhouse/loo/store room and conservatory - on the neighbours side, a rickety rotten, but frequently used wooden lean to/conservatory.

It was the end of summer and in said drain had collected a sizable quantity of bone dry leafs, as this was my youth when we still had seasons.

My 11 year old brain wanted to do 2 things, tidy this mound of garden detritus and play with my box of cooks matches.

I've never been the sharpest pencil in the sky, so I decided it would be perfectly fine to combine the two acts by setting the pile on fire - whooomph, the flames shot - and then started to spread...

Panic, panic, panic - I flailed and screamed silently, not to arouse the suspicions of my loan mother baking in the kitchen. Flames flicking ever nearer the tinder dry support beams of the neighbours coveted plant growing room.

And this is where I thank the lord, as fast as it started, the flames settled down sufficiently for me to poke and prod with my size 10 and a half's - until there was just smoke rising - a bucket of water later and my first dance with death over, I own up to my mother what I have just done. She marches me next door to ensure no damage has been done, it hadn't - and there, it began the first of many small fires - which have included a plastic bath in a house, a garden shed with 1960's chemicals, exploding asbestos - mending fireworks and my greatest ever feat, removing all the skin from the palms of my hands and left leg with methylated spirits.
(feedingtimeatthezoo day 1 of his bikini diet started, Tue 31 Mar 2009, 16:19, Reply)