Number of large fires burning out of control in NOLA

[Ryan McGinnis]

This has been reported by the BBC and CNN, and even the The Interdictor has mentioned it. One is a large chemical plant that has been rocked with explosions. The other fire is reportedly downtown -- while I can't confirm, it sounds as if it's at a highrise (CNN reports the fire is now from floor one to floor five, and that there is one lonely firetruck with one lowpressure hose there trying to keep it under control.) I don't know how this is all going to turn out -- as the Great Chicago Fire evidenced, it's generally very bad to have large out-of-control structure fires in a city center.

 

[HAltschule]

I saw live video of both fires this morning. They were both burning out of control and still without fire apparatus. I am not surprised by this because these buildings are vacant (hopefully), hard to reach (flooded roads) and would take resources away from other rescue ops. Very interesting indeed.

Unfortuantely, with the flooding, you get furnaces etc.. whose flames burn out. Once the water recedes, you're left with a flow of natural gas. And eventually, some of these will find an ignition source. This could become the next HUGE problem. Think about how many of the Natural Gas leaks are occurring. Unless they cutoff the main supply at the gas company, whihc might be a good idea to consider. But pretty wild video indeed.

 

[David Wolfson]

Big oil spill downstream from NO

Might as well put this in the disaster du jour thread....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050902/ap_on_...a_oil_spill_hk4

The amount of oil mentioned is roughly the contents of a VLCC supertanker.

 

[Kurt Wayne]

...

...and the Great Chicago Fire didn't have a floating hydrocarbon-laced soup surrounding it.

 

[HAltschule]

Might as well put this in the disaster du jour thread....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050902/ap_on_...a_oil_spill_hk4

That really stinks..... Just what we don't need.