At the time, it seemed like a good idea:
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Madison Ambulance and Wentworth Fire Department, were called to a residence south of Wentworth around 7:45 Thursday for a report of two men burned as the result of an explosion. Sheriff Tim Walburg said two men were cutting down trees and planned to burn them in a pit. He said the trees were doused with about six gallons of gasoline and lit with a roman candle. Walburg said once the gas was ignited, it caused an explosion [Sue Bergheim, "Two Men Injured in Explosion Near Wentworth," KJAM Radio, 2013.08.02].
Notes for future Wentworth tree-disposal operations:
- Wood is usually flammable on its own.
- Kindling—small twigs, bark, paper—normally doesn't explode.
- If you really want to use a remote fire-starting device, a roman candle should not be your first choice.
- If you must start a brush-pile fire with a roman candle, stand the heck back!
Very good safety tips.
According to the newspaper, the explosion blew out windows.
Six gallons of gasoline??
Darwin award winning?
Diesel fuel, not gasoline.
Blew out windows? Tip #5: dig your tree-burning pit at least 100 yards away from the house! How close were the dudes and the windows?
Minutes prior to the explosion, a witness heard someone say, "Here, hold my beer."
Cory, we really need a "thumbs up" option on these forums. K's comment is priceless! ;)
Just for the record, my address is now wentworth but it was not me :-). Here, hold my beer while I hit Post Your Comment
6 gallons of gas has the same explosive ability as 500 pounds of dynamite. Luckily for these guys that power isn't easily tapped because of the need for oxygen to achieve it. Depending on atmospheric conditions this explosion could have been much larger and these guys are lucky to be alive.
Barry, They are lucky just to be on one piece let along still breathing.
The beauty of media...you don't have a clue about the story or the event. However, some dumbass thinks it is humorous to write a story about a near tragedy. Let it be known the Wentworth fire department was contacted prior to the event, provided advice to the two men and were notified as a precaution. Oil, diesel fuel and a very small amount of gasoline was used....remember karma is a real thing...and for those who find humor in this event...I wish you the best as a tragedy is likely to occur to you or someone close to you
Just doesn't sound like a diesel fuel "explosion".
They must have been standing next to the hole and shot the roman candle down into the hole...or came back to see if they hit anything.
But, it doesn't take a lot of gas to make a big explosion. The propane that leaked into the exploding Winner house blew the upstairs walls out and blew the roof off about 100 feet to one side and probably 50 feet on the other side. We were about 4 blocks away and the blast sounded like a car driving into the side of the house. A block or so north, nick-nacks were knocked off shelves.
Oh, good idea to ground yourself to your vehicle before putting the gas hose into the tank. Letting the hose do it can make a spark as apparently can "varnish" around filler cause static, but not sure about that story.
The beauty of the Internet, you can be anonymous and call a person(s) a "dumbass". Make the moment worthwhile, use your name. What are you hiding? See you in church;-)
Humorous? Yes. Also instructive. But tragedy? Try farce, unless you are feeling Aristotelian and can posit some seriousness and dignity in the event and a great person experiencing a reversal of fortune. And karma is about as imaginary as your pseudonym
"Dumbass" well describes the folks who tried burning their trees with petrochemicals and a roman candle, not those of us observing the story and asking, quite sensibly, "What the hell were you idiots thinking?" "Dumbass" may also describe the anonymous insult artist who invokes karma (a dodge as fake as his name) to distract us from the tree-burners' fundamental stupidity. "Karma" won't kick in here, not to this media person and those close to him, because we aren't stupid enough to pour six gallons of fuel on downed trees and light a roman candle... and we'll tell our kids not to do it, either.
Now, what was the topic again?
The South Dakota zoo has a lot of dumbasses and smartasses too. And the rest of us tossing peanuts probably doesn't help. Oh, well these peanuts are cheap.