Fire? Fire!

So there I was, checking my site meter when this deafening screech reverberated around the apartment. I leapt up, my heart pounding. What was it? My first thought was that it was my alarm clock. But why would that be? Firstly, it's so quiet I can barely hear it when it goes off next to my ear, and secondly, I haven't had the need to set it since I've been here. (There are some benefits to not having a work permit, you know).
Then it must be the cooker. I have used this more than my alarm clock, well barely, but I think it has a timer. Was it that?
I realised the sound was coming from out in the hallway, particularly when I opened the door and noise got even louder. You can't get much past me. I shot down the stairs to find one or two people congregating in the lobby and a maintainence man trying to turn off the alarm.
Now people say living in an apartment block can be really lonely because everyone goes inside their little space and you never meet your neighbours. Well, I met some of them today.
One woman, a bit too large to be wearing shorts unless she pulled them on in an emergency, complained: "This is the fourth time this has happened since September."
What would she prefer, that the whole place burnt to the ground quietly so she wasn't disturbed?
In the end it turned out not to be a false alarm. One of the other residents was burning something on her stove, her extractor fan wasn't working, the smoke poured out into the second floor corridor and the alarms went crazy.
All this has taught me two things:
1. Always dress appropriately, even if you are slobbing out at home all day.
2. Cooking can be dangerous. Leave it to the experts.