Izzi would be the first since she is the only pet I have and my second would be my golf cart we call my "Big Rig". I use it so much.

Sue

My Gram's kitchen knife. It's been sharpened so many times that the cutting side has a curve.

edited to add that I'd make sure that I had the pets out and safe. They're family.

Probably the photo albums....our history, and my laptop.

My two dogs and my cat would be what I'd grab first. The rest can be replaced.

It would have to be my touring bike, along with all the gear I take on extended tours. To bad, I don't keep all in the same place.

Moni

my dog as I know she wouldn't leave on her own and I will have to drag her out of the house. I would also take the computer with all our pictures on it. Anything else will just be memories. Oh my husband of 53 years will also be on that list. mary

If it can't be a person, then I'd walk away. Stuff is simply stuff. Memories are all in my head. Anything of value is in the burn protected safe.

My dog and one of my cats. The other 2 cats wouldn't let me catch them. Maybe my laptop. Everything else is just "stuff".

I lean towards thinking along with Suzi, the best "stuff" is stored in my head: special moments traveling, with family, happy times, awesome experiences, beautiful landscapes, etc. However, if forced to get something, it would probably be a couple of photos of my parents. (Needless to say, dog and cat ahead of photos!)

Sweet, Gazania.

P.S. Make sure your smoke detectors and in good operating order. Don't put it off.

The reclaimed barn wood sideboard my father made for me from the walls of a stable I had to have torn down.

About 50 years ago I bought my Mother a set of pearls. I'm sure they are cultured pearls because I wouldn't have been able to afford the real thing. I had forgotten about them and about five years ago, a bit before her death, she said now don't forget the pearls are for you. I have a big family and if she hadn't reminded me I don't know where they would be. I know where they are and if I am able they would be what I would grab.

After people and animals, it would be my purse, ipad and important papers from the bill holder by the door. Sounds crazy but with those items, I would have everything necessary to manage life for us and avoid any damage to our finances. Everything else we can replace through family, or we have a copy stored on the cloud or a fireproof safe.

When my daughter was small, we went through a flash flooding from a hurricane. With 7 ft of water in our home, we pretty much lost everything and were displaced for months. I learned the hard way how important it is to always have a plan.

I have a lot of prized possessions, like my grandmother's kitchen stool, the trivets my father made, etc. Finding one single thing to choose as my most prized is hard!

I've decided, finally, that it should be something one can carry, not like the stool or my grandfather's books. It should definitely have generational meaning.

My most prized possession is my mother's locket, which was given to her when she was a child, has some damage, but also has a petal from her first corsage. When she gave it to me when I was a child she said we could change that for a picture, but I never wanted to.

I think I would grab any cash, financial records, address book and appointment calendar. (The address book and calendar contains important contact information that would be a great aid after the disaster, for example, my insurance agent.) Other things, if I had the time to pick up, would be sturdy shoes, a change of clothing and a heavy coat. There are other things that are dear to me, but the problem as posed, indicates one would have very little time such as a house afire. Luckily, we do not have pets that need our aid to escape or very expensive jewelry.

We do have items that bear memories and would be greatly sadden with that loss, items such as our children's photos, genealogy photos, documents, and data, a 170 yr old clock, cameras, and mementos.

I don't think financial records are in the same category with 'prized possessions'. I wouldn't consider it to mean a living being either.

I am very fond of the grandmother clock my maternal grandfather bartered for. He sold Watkins Products from a horse-drawn rig in Rhode Island c. 1900. It's not valuable, but I've heard it tell the hour and half-hour all my life.

I would be wearing my engagement/wedding ring, and other jewelry is in the bank -- including the pearls I bought MY mother with money from my first job. (Small world, jkyd_il5!)

Well not a prized possession the first thing I would grab is my address book. It has everything in it. All websites, passwords, user names, account numbers, etc. for us, our kids, my brother. And my laptop. That's the practical side.

Something I wouldn't want to lose, the teapot my mom brought back from Ireland for me the year before she died. I know it's of no great value, just sentimental. And a paper fan on a paint stirring stick that had the name of my dad's insurance business on it. It's from the 60's probably.

The 4 high school diplomas on the hall wall. My father's, mine, daughter's, and granddaughter's, all from the same high school. Doubt that father's (1932) could be replaced today.

In an emergency evacuation, I would grab my purse, the back-up drive for my computer so I would have access to all of my records, my iPad and my grandmother's wedding ring. I know that's more than one thing, but the first three are non-negotiable, so I guess my most prized possession is data.

After getting humans and the dog out, I'd stand back and watch the fire. I agree that stuff is just stuff, the few small items of value we have are in a safe deposit box (where a backup drive is also located).

Prized possessions...not to include purse....my mother's wedding rings and my great-grandmother's birthstone ring.

Our neighborhood was on fire a few years back. I've learned if you want anything saved, you have it packed and in the car by the time you get evacuated. After that, it is too late. I grabbed my kids, my dog, boxes of photos and photo albums, a hard drive of old pictures, and the fire box that is supposed to save important documents in case of a fire. I tried to get the cat, but she hid and we could not find her. Fortunately, the fire was contained and no houses were lost.

I did lose my house to fire in 1994. I saved nothing as I was out at the time - didn't even have my purse or a jacket. Luckily we rummaged through the debris a week later and found most of my photo albums intact (with a few singed areas and water damage, but I salvaged most of them). I also found my jewelry box, the heat had melted the finish on the wooden box and sealed it shut, all the jewelry was fine (I didn't have much, but some pieces of my mother's were there).

The only thing I can think of that I would have liked to save was a baby blanket my Mom made me - all hand embroidered.

I honestly can't think of anything. I would of course be upset if some things were lost, but I can't think of anything as "prized". I don't know if that is a good thing or just sad.

To add to what socks said about the fire alarm in working order, they also make smart alarms now that can link to your cell phone. One day I was cooking bacon and my husband who was at work almost 1 1/2 hour drive away called to see if I had set the house on fire. LOL Great technology though.

In our first home (which was a townhouse) I once had to call the fire department because I could here my next door neighbors alarm going off. Turns out they had left a pot on the stove and forgot to turn the stove off. With the smart devices if you have that happen you can at least call a neighbor to check or call the fire department before things get out of control. I know this was off topic, just wanted to share incase anyone wasn't aware that they make these devices.

I'm with Snidely on this. Important documents and jewelry are stored elsewhere. I'd grab my phone and my Kindle, though.