apparently the fire in karen’s apartment building started in a resident bedroom (the actual cause is unknown, at least by us). the elderly resident noticed the fire and then went outside to watch, but she did not call pull the fire alarm or tell anyone! eventually, the fire alarm did go off, but by that point the hallways were filled with smoke. since the fire alarm is pretty weak, karen’s roommate thought someone was trapped in the elevator, but when she opened the door she got blasted with smoke. she and karen made it out by crawling on the floors; they had to feel their way out since it was too dark and smoky to see anything.
incredibly, no one in the building was hurt (except for smoke inhalation). most of the residents are elderly, so it was even more miraculous everyone got out safely.
karen apparently can retake her exam tomorrow if she does not pass it since she had a “life crisis”. funny.