4 ms·

Welding without sufficient care can cause a lot of trouble. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Boston_Brownstone_fire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Boston

• pixl97 6y ago
  Really the welding was the thing that matters least in this case. The environment that was created was so incredibly dangerous, so incredibly negligent that practically anything involving a spark would have caused this incident. Fireworks near AN? Why not play Russian roulette with a single shot. Storing AN for 6 years? Madness.
  • ashtonkem 6y ago
    When storing 2,750 tons of AN inappropriately near other flammable materials, the question isn’t “why did it explode”, the question is “why didn’t it explode for 6 years?” This was bound to be the outcome eventually until someone got around to actually storing that stuff correctly. It seems a small batch of welders just finally drew the short straw.
• AdmiralAsshat 6y ago
  It seems silly to blame the spark, rather than the fuel. If there was a massive, undetected gas-leak that erupts into a fireball when a guy strikes a match, you don't blame the guy for the damage.
  • ip26 6y ago
    Yeah, but if there was a massive dry fuel load in the California mountains caused by a hundred years of poorly informed forest management strategy, and some hypothetical electrical utility sparked & burned it all down, then you do blame the spark!
• rectang 6y ago
  So what? The welders are an utterly inconsequential distraction from much more important lines of inquiry.
• rolph 6y ago
  wet canvas curtains and dropsheets are a must when i weld, even over a concrete pad