MetaFilter posts tagged with fires

Events That Touched Our Ancestors' Lives

netbros — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:36:19 -0800

GenDisasters is a genealogy site, compiling information on the historic disasters, events, and tragic accidents of Canada and the U.S. that our ancestors endured, as well as, information about their life and death. Search is quite extensive and navigation is broken down by disaster type, including earthquakes, hurricanes, mining explosions, and dozens of other categories. You can also choose by state within the USA, for example Arizona, or province within Canada, i.e. New Brunswick. Finally, you may also browse a timeline that begins as early as 1755 and includes information as current as the Swan's Island fire in July of this year. Members are encouraged to report and add information to the ever-growing database.

The Objective Orbiting Eye in the Sky

trinarian — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 02:59:30 -0800

Live, From Outer Space: rural fires [1, 2], The Haze in China [1 ,2, 3] and its movement, aerosols, and the brothers carbon monoxide [a photochemical smog agent] and carbon dioxide.

Pala beibi pala, disco inferno!

taursir — Fri, 05 May 2006 15:47:41 -0800

Downtown Helsinki seemed semiapocalyptic tonight while a set of warehouses near city-center burned to the ground. The buildings were previously owned by the State Railway, and (as Wikipedia tells) recently had become an unofficial cultural center hosting BDSM conventions and heavy metal festivals. The buildings were previously scheduled for destruction on Monday to make way for a new music hall, but it looks like the demolition happened early. Fire trucks had visited the scene earlier this week when it was last set on fire during a May Day eve protest-- or was that drunken revelry? Strangely, this wasn't considered significant enough for the police to worry about it. More photos.

Roaches Can Survive Anything

nathanrudy — Wed, 12 Jan 2005 09:38:21 -0800

Woman Blows Up Home, Roaches Survive ... A 20-something woman in Jersey City, NJ, had a roach infestation, so she bought a few roach foggers and set them off in her kitchen. She then walked out of the house just before the pilot light on her stove ignited the fog. The resulting blast blew out a window, messed up the kitchen, and -- in a lucky break that saved her from injury -- slammed the door shut behind her. The truly sad part is that the roaches survived both the fogging and the explosion, according to firefighters who put out the blaze.

FIRE!

tomplus2 — Thu, 08 Jul 2004 06:35:02 -0800

Firefighters defend $120 million telescope. Obviously forest fires and telescopes (qtvr) don't mix.

"Almost anything that was wood is gone"

jessamyn — Sun, 02 Nov 2003 16:55:50 -0800

One of the many casualties of the California fires was the unique and lovely studio and residence of artist and architect James Hubbell. Hubbell is a proponent of Architecture of Jubilation and his living and working quarters reflected many of his ideas about organic designs and sustainable building. The artist and his family and co-workers are fine but his one-of-a-kind house is not.

Firestorm 2003

rschram — Sun, 26 Oct 2003 15:04:00 -0800

Santa Ana Speeds the Spread of So Cal Fires
Five separate fires are burning in San Diego County, including several densely populated suburban areas. Dozens of homes have been burned. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar has been affected, including an FAA air traffic control installation. 16,000 people in the South Bay lost electricity when a major distribution line went down. Many San Diego firefighters went up to Camp Pendelton yesterday. (1, 2)

Albuquerque bosque fire

jabo — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 22:46:11 -0800

The Albuquerque Bosque is on fire. Bosque is spanish for woods that grow along a river bank and these woods are within feet of homes of Albuquerque, New Mexico residents. The bosque is along the Rio Grande river that runs through the state's largest city and includes a nature center and towering cottonwood trees that are over 100's of years old. Yesterday and tonight over 1000 acres are going up like a match. The Rio Grande bosque is a state treasure (with a national wild refuge ). We now have seven fires in New Mexico. Albuquerque is losing a natural treasure tonight... very sad to hear this may be arson.

A Burning Question

jonp72 — Wed, 05 Mar 2003 15:14:22 -0800

Fire Disaster, What Have We Learned? The recent Great White nightclub tragedy has made it imperative to study previous deadly fires in public buidlings, such as the Iroquois Theater, the Cocoanut Grove, the Beverly Hills Supper Club, the Natchez Rhythm Club, the Happy Land Social Club, and the 1944 Hartford circus fire. The sad thing is that many of these deaths could have been preventable.

kcmoryan — Thu, 10 Oct 2002 06:18:15 -0800

Ignore the fact we fired the last guy who spoke up. Anyone else want to say anything? Aquila head asks for comments, and fires the guy who points out that the $7.6 million severance package given to his brother would have kept 152 employees on the payroll at $50,000 each. (He also copied 1 or 2 thousand of his closest friends.) Who's right here? Would you express yourself freely?

jeremias — Sun, 07 Jul 2002 19:04:46 -0800

Hazy shade of summer Days like today remind me our world is indeed small. Here in the Northeast US the sun never broke through the haze. More forest fires, only these were in Quebec. I had friends as far south as New Jersey notice. How'd the day look to you?

Irontom — Mon, 24 Jun 2002 05:45:49 -0800

Gigantic airships to fight forest fires
An airship carrying just under one million litres (265,000 gallons) of water could release an artificial rainstorm over wildfires. It's a big project, but airships with that kind of lift capacity are already in the works.

Dagobert — Sat, 05 Jan 2002 07:58:49 -0800

More Public Servants to Rally Around. In what appears to be a extremely trying time, the members of the NSW Fire Brigade have been working insane hours, under the most intense conditions....and with a largely volunteer force. Although, I heard NSW Premier Bob Carr this morning on the news state that he intends to have the (accused) arson culprits visit burn wards and help with clean-up with the intent to "traumatize" theses kids. Strong stuff but I gather that's the kinda guy he is. Of course, if you feel the urge, you can give until it hurts. (registration required). Makes me want to emmigrate again.