4 ms·

This reminds me of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown. They put out the fire by dumping boron and sand on the core from helicopters. https://www.livescien

This reminds me of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown. They put out the fire by dumping boron and sand on the core from helicopters. https://www.livescience.com/65515-chernobyl-in-modern-times-nuclear-emergency.html https://www.livescience.com/65515-chernobyl-in-modern-times-...

mindcrime 6y ago
Handling flammable metals fires by burying the fire load in sand is not uncommon. As other people have mentioned, there are special extinguishing agents out there that handle flammable metals (Class D) fires, but they're expensive, and not all fire departments have them. And many departments that don't specialize in industrial response may have a Class D extinguisher or two, but nowhere near enough extinguishing agent to handle a large fire. OTOH, large industrial plants often have their on on-site fire brigades that have specialized equipment and training specifically around the unique hazards found at their facilities. Not sure what the situation was here at the Tesla plant. But I can say that if my old volunteer department in a mostly rural part of NC had ever encountered a large flammable metals fire (the most likely scenario would probably have involved something in transport, and a motor vehicle collision), we would almost certainly have started requesting dump truck loads of sand, and a front-end loader.
mauvehaus 6y ago
This sounds like the perfect opportunity for a Derek Lowe link to Sand Won't Save You This Time: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_save_you_this_time https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/sa... Be warned: the "Things I Won't Work With" category is entertaining and can easily take up an evening of your time.
- shagie 6y ago
  > Be warned: the "Things I Won't Work With" category is entertaining and can easily take up an evening of your time. Don't forget the "Things I’m Glad I Don’t Do" category with such gems as "There’s Toxicity, And There’s Toxicity." Not as many posts as "Things I Won't Work With", but enough amusement for few good reads.
  - phaedrus 6y ago
    When you run out of those, move on to Ignition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants by John D. Clark. https://archive.org/details/ignition_201612/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/ignition_201612/mode/2up
- astrange 6y ago
  I recommend stopping after one or two posts, because he uses the same jokes every time and you should let yourself forget them so you don't notice.
- ainiriand 6y ago
  Brilliant article, thanks for bringing it to my knowledge, friend.

mindcrime 6y ago

Handling flammable metals fires by burying the fire load in sand is not uncommon. As other people have mentioned, there are special extinguishing agents out there that handle flammable metals (Class D) fires, but they're expensive, and not all fire departments have them. And many departments that don't specialize in industrial response may have a Class D extinguisher or two, but nowhere near enough extinguishing agent to handle a large fire. OTOH, large industrial plants often have their on on-site fire brigades that have specialized equipment and training specifically around the unique hazards found at their facilities. Not sure what the situation was here at the Tesla plant. But I can say that if my old volunteer department in a mostly rural part of NC had ever encountered a large flammable metals fire (the most likely scenario would probably have involved something in transport, and a motor vehicle collision), we would almost certainly have started requesting dump truck loads of sand, and a front-end loader.

mauvehaus 6y ago

This sounds like the perfect opportunity for a Derek Lowe link to Sand Won't Save You This Time: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_save_you_this_time https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/sa... Be warned: the "Things I Won't Work With" category is entertaining and can easily take up an evening of your time.

shagie 6y ago
> Be warned: the "Things I Won't Work With" category is entertaining and can easily take up an evening of your time. Don't forget the "Things I’m Glad I Don’t Do" category with such gems as "There’s Toxicity, And There’s Toxicity." Not as many posts as "Things I Won't Work With", but enough amusement for few good reads.
- phaedrus 6y ago
  When you run out of those, move on to Ignition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants by John D. Clark. https://archive.org/details/ignition_201612/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/ignition_201612/mode/2up
astrange 6y ago
I recommend stopping after one or two posts, because he uses the same jokes every time and you should let yourself forget them so you don't notice.
ainiriand 6y ago
Brilliant article, thanks for bringing it to my knowledge, friend.