Fire footage

May 7, 2003 11:07 AM

This truck garage across the train-tracks from our studio in Chicago just blew up (an hour or so ago) and our able intern Anthony has posted some footage of the blaze and 2 very brave guys in a cherry-picker. Scary.
posted by coudal (28 comments total)

Self link.
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 11:14 AM on May 7, 2003

I think live footage of anything is ok though... er sumthin'. Although the live footage could stand to be a bit more dramatic.
posted by Witty at 11:20 AM on May 7, 2003

I like looking at stuff blow up as much as--if not more than--the next guy, but I can see stuff blowing up in much more fine detail anywhere. It's interesting to coudal because it's across the street from coudal and for no other reason. None of the rest of us are across the street.

And that, friends, is why self-linking is almost always a bad idea.

The criteria for self-linking ought to be restricted to:aliens landing in your backyard, the second coming, or pictures of Roy Orbison wrapped in clingfilm. Otherwise, forget it.
posted by vraxoin at 11:21 AM on May 7, 2003

My mom was Roy Orbison's nurse at a hospital in Chicago after he had one of his heartattacks. Sorry, though, I don't have a link to a photo of them.
posted by BirdD0g at 11:32 AM on May 7, 2003

Well, what crash said {lol}, but let me try to offer this paltry defense of coudal.

From the looks of the photo (can't access the vid - firewall), it looks like a pretty big blaze. And since it's in the Chicago, it's bound to make state-wide and maybe national news.

But we knew about it first! That's a little cool in the sense that it's MeFi that brought us all together, even through the bickering and call-outs.

Ok, I got nothin.
posted by tr33hggr at 11:35 AM on May 7, 2003

Oh, go easy on him. He just didn't read the rules.
posted by Shane at 11:36 AM on May 7, 2003

... and are you for it, or against it? Or, is there some point that this is making? Oh, it's just "news?" Perhaps there are better places for this sort of thing.

As a sidenote, I don't think this sort of thing belongs on the national news outlets either. Video of a fire isn't news - What caused the fire might be...
posted by jpburns at 11:38 AM on May 7, 2003

... and are you for it, or against it?

You're right, there's nothing here to argue about. What good is it? ; )
posted by Shane at 11:41 AM on May 7, 2003

Sorry about the self-posting faux pas, I thought the video was fairly dramatic and since it was only a few minutes old, post-worthy. As for "what caused the fire?" apparently welding in a room full of gas cans is not such a good idea.
posted by coudal at 11:44 AM on May 7, 2003

I saw the smoke from my office roof. Is that near Grand & Ashland?
posted by thirteen at 11:49 AM on May 7, 2003

The Acorn Garage, on Hubbard between Racine and May. All over now, one guy in the hospital, everybody else ok.
posted by coudal at 11:53 AM on May 7, 2003

Well, what crash said {lol}

crash? where is crash's comment?
posted by quonsar at 11:54 AM on May 7, 2003

Interesting question (though perhaps more appropriate for IJR's MeTa thread): when does "breaking news that impacts the poster and others nearby" escape the self link ban?? I noticed nobody screamed "self link" in the Seattle earthquake thread . . . would coudal have been on firmer ground if had linked to a Chicago news story rather than his own rather dramatic footage? (or would that just have provoked "breaking news filter" comments).
posted by donovan at 11:54 AM on May 7, 2003

Whoa, it disappeard. It said, "Prepare for a brutal beating."
posted by tr33hggr at 11:56 AM on May 7, 2003

"crash? where is crash's comment?"

Crash said "Prepare for a thorough beating", but apparently that was derailing this well-thought-out self-link, so now it's gone.

Apologies all around.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:57 AM on May 7, 2003

well, for my money that completely sucks. (oops, better follow crash's lead - apologies all around)
posted by quonsar at 12:03 PM on May 7, 2003

obligatory link discussion:
but fire, fire is cool. i like fire. it makes pretty colors. it stirs excitement and gets attention. then again, fire destroys. fires cost money and sometimes take lives. also, fire is hot, and i don't really like to be hot. i mean, if you are cold, you can always put more clothes on, but if you are hot, you can only shed so much clothing before risking jail. so, i mean, this issue, it's complex, like abortion or something. what about you mefites out there? are you are you pro-fire, or pro-naked?
posted by quonsar at 12:19 PM on May 7, 2003

Well, if coudal had a picture of a bunch of naked people across the street, I'd be all for it.

Naked firefighters would be even better.
posted by stefanie at 12:31 PM on May 7, 2003

The final nail in the coffin. Self linking is okay now. Excellent. I have tons of stuff to post to the homepage now. My clam dip recipe is unstoppable.
posted by y6y6y6 at 12:36 PM on May 7, 2003

I'm sure it would have been ok had Dokken or L.A. Guns been involved... you know, some pyrotechnics gone bad or something, dead people, horror, etc.
posted by Witty at 12:46 PM on May 7, 2003

are you are you pro-fire, or pro-naked?

Depends how hot I am.
posted by ginz at 12:47 PM on May 7, 2003

"None of the rest of us are across the street."

Speak for yourself. :) I do have to say, though, that despite my proximity, this fire story isn't intriguing. Probably best discussed in MeTa (though there's no thread) but posts like these are like watching fire stories on the local news: all you can be is a spectator.
posted by acornface at 12:50 PM on May 7, 2003

damn! that clam dip IS unstoppable!
[pours some on the fire]
posted by quonsar at 12:55 PM on May 7, 2003

Well, I thought it was a good post. But what do I know?
posted by SealWyf at 12:57 PM on May 7, 2003

"Probably best discussed in MeTa (though there's no thread)..."

Isn't There?
posted by jpburns at 12:58 PM on May 7, 2003

My pro-naked stance is hemmed in only by my pro-fire stance. in other words, the only kind of clothing that should ever be worn is Nomex. Or a codpiece. Or a nomex codpiece.
posted by jlynford2 at 12:59 PM on May 7, 2003

People, let's at least agree on this simple equation:

fire = rad
posted by dhoyt at 1:00 PM on May 7, 2003

Well, I thought it was a good post. But what do I know?

why, you know exactly as much as the rest of us.
nothing, apparently.
posted by quonsar at 1:04 PM on May 7, 2003