Atlanta interstate catches fire and collapses

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Here’s another bridge nearly brought down by plastic pipes - ignited by welding slag.

Still hmmmmm but it doesn’t seem to be, you know…a technique or anything.

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Best Trump impression since Dumpster Fire 2016…

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I have a strange feeling this is going to lead to a registry list of those who purchase PVC pipe. Because FREEDOM!

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Maybe it was the concrete?

http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_save_you_this_time

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Great video clip here.
The commentary is really excellent.
https://twitter.com/LexBlancoAtl/status/847578645896077312

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Was it from embarrassment? It was from embarrassment, wasn’t it. #American’t

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I love the “Things I Won’t Work With” tag. So many things that go boom (or make your sinuses hate you).

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Who are those two idiots who stop, assess the giant cloud of roiling black toxic smoke completely blocking visibility, and then DRIVE THROUGH IT ANYWAY?!

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I see we have a PVC purchaser sympathizer! We have a list for that too.

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I wonder the same with the people who try and drive through the 6ft deep water during flooding…

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Isn’t one of the meso-american fire gods called Tlanna?

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It doesn’t help that one of the products of burning PVC is hydrogen chloride. I know of a farmer who was nearly killed when she decided to put some old pipe on a bonfire. Not only is the stuff toxic but in large enough concentrations it will damage concrete.

This isn’t the first case I’ve seen of where flammables were allowed to be stored under overpasses. You’d think by now there would be regulations about it. :innocent:

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Slightly OT but it may be the car adverts that give them this idea. (not 6ft but more typical depths)
A former colleague had a large Mercedes which he damaged in spectacular fashion by trying to drive through a flood about 60cm. deep. The engine was destroyed. Mercedes declined to pay out claiming it was his fault.
But then he procured a recording of the TV ad that had persuaded him to buy the car, which clearly showed it driving through a flood deeper than the one he had encountered. Mercedes paid up without it going to court.
So while these people are often idiots, they may have been misled by the manufacturer. There are cars that can drive through a metre of water - several people around here have them. But the snorkels are a bit of a giveaway.

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And that’s just the ones on the drivers.

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In a pleasant surprise, “no immediate reports of casualties in the incident”. I suspect that some commutes are going to suck for a fair while; but for a major road catching fire at a reasonably busy time, that’s pretty good.

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thank god no one was hurt! Traffic for the next few months while they rebuild is going to be hell.

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All the nopes.

Atlanta interstate catches fire and collapses

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ClF3. Wonderful stuff, and good to see the John Clark quote in the linked blog.
But the black clouds with red flames do suggest a polymer fire. It’s something that produces lots of unburnt carbon particles, so it’s low temperature. You can get the same effect from burning heavy oil with a restricted air supply.
Not something I would want to drive close to, but if there was following traffic the drivers may have had little option. Keep going and risk being affected by toxic smoke, stop and risk certain death from toxic smoke, with the possibility of being rear ended by other drivers trying to escape. If anything goes wrong on a busy divided road, you’re remarkably helpless. The other day I was close to a truck tyre blowout on the M3. I was in a lane clear of debris but I nearly got sideswiped by the driver trying to avoid a lump of rubber in his lane.

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The mayor of Atlanta was on the radio this morning saying it was likely PVC pipes that caught on fire.

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