Most importantly, very glad you are alive and well, and very glad people surrounded you with generosity.
When I was 10 years old, our house was torched. Lost almost everything. It was on a Sunday morning and we were at church. Someone came and got me and and my brothers out of Sunday school and told us what was going on. We went down to see my parents and then we went home, or what was left of it. You are right, that you NEVER forget that smell. To this day, if the right combo of garbage ends up in the bonfire, I am taken back to that day because of that smell. In the end, the biggest miracle was that our dog survived. She was in her kennel in the corner of the garage and the firefighters got to her in time. For the rest of her days she was scared to death of loud sounds. I can't imagine how loud it was in that garage when all the windows in the house blew out, and she was right there for it. After that day, even something like clapping your hands would cause her to cower on the floor and shiver. We arrived at the house just as the firefighters were finishing up. As we walked through the house, my Dad was mostly just pissed off, my Mother and older Brothers were sobbing. For some reason, I wasn't crying. I was more curious than anything. Seeing all of our stuff burned and melted. It was just a curiosity to me. When we turned the corner through the kitchen and headed through the patio door out the back, there was a pile of debris on the ground outside. In that pile was my white cowboy hat, half burned up. It had been given to me by my Grandmother. That was it for me. I lost it and spent the next few hours crying my eyes out. The support from our neighbors, family, and church friends was incredible. I will never forget how people circled around and provided for us. We were even given a place to live free of charge while our house was rebuilt. I am really glad to see how well you got through your ordeal. It makes me happy to know that people are always looking out for others.
So glad no one was hurt and that you bounced back strong, brother!