Getting dry and warm was a priority. There was a metal wastepaper basket and enough flammable stuff in the drawers of the desk to facilitate a fire. There was also an abundance of cardboard boxes on and around the workbench, carrying spare parts and breaker components used for repairing the station. I removed my wet poncho, shook it off, and then started to remove all my clothing and wring it out. Next, I made a small fire using a modest amount of paper, as I didn't want to produce too much smoke. I positioned some of my wetter belongings in strategic places around the fire to facilitate drying. I knew that getting my sleeping bag and mat, which were only marginally damp, would be a good start at trying to warm up. Though I was not wet in the building, it still was not very warm. There was a chair at the desk, and I used this to stand and sit around the fire, trying to maintain as much body heat and warmth as I could. I also strung up a clothesline in the area I was trying to keep warm.
There was also a spare gray electrical box, the size of a bookshelf, on a pallet in one of the corners. I pushed it off the pallet, creating a huge crash, but now I had a source of firewood. Using the heavy wrench and some of the other tools to pry up some of the nails, I was able to break the wood into small enough pieces to facilitate a small fire.
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Not wanting to waste the heat of the fire, I boiled water and used my last coveted pack of coffee, and rehydrated another meal. Sitting on a chair and eating felt amazing. It was a luxury that I would have taken for granted any other day of my life, but just sitting on a surface that wasn't tilted was magnificent after so many days being stuck on top of the roof. Knowing how temperamental and easily burned the athletic clothing was, I paid very close attention to making sure it was rotated and consistently kept out of the sparks of any of the flames. My patience paid off, and while I had used most of the fuel from the pallet, paperwork, and cardboard, my clothes were mostly dry. I decided to let the fire die out and conserve some of the remaining flammable material.
It was quite late, as I had been drying out the clothes for many hours. My eyes were watering and hurting from the smoke, and even though I had positioned the fire close to the pried-up roof tile to help with the smoke, there was still a very large amount of haze in the building. With my sleeping mat and sleeping bag dry, I decided to attempt to go to sleep. I took some melatonin from the drugs I had, as well as some Tylenol to help with all the aches and pains, and went to sleep.
