Tower of Flame
June 29, 2016 10:48 AM Subscribe
Welcome to Alesund, home of the World's Biggest Bonfire. (SLYT)
From the video description: Residents of the Norwegian town of Alesund built a world record-breaking 155.5 feet tall bonfire for their traditional midsummer festival on June 25.
Midsummer’s Eve is commonly known in Norway as St. Hans aften (St. John’s eve) or Jonsok (from norse Jonsvaka, “John’s Wake”). Like many other Christian celebrations, St. Hans was originally a pagan festival.
From the video description: Residents of the Norwegian town of Alesund built a world record-breaking 155.5 feet tall bonfire for their traditional midsummer festival on June 25.
Midsummer’s Eve is commonly known in Norway as St. Hans aften (St. John’s eve) or Jonsok (from norse Jonsvaka, “John’s Wake”). Like many other Christian celebrations, St. Hans was originally a pagan festival.
As someone who recently resigned his position as a shipper/receiver where I routinely dealt with grotesquely overloaded wooden pallets, I strongly endorse this activity.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 12:01 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 12:01 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Is this bigger than that other fire? Firey Dude or something like that? Somewhere in Nevada or possibly the Bay Area in Nevada?
posted by pashdown at 2:55 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by pashdown at 2:55 PM on June 29, 2016
A bonfire that went very wrong. This one looks pretty well done.
posted by Bee'sWing at 3:06 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by Bee'sWing at 3:06 PM on June 29, 2016
A bonfire that went very wrong. This one looks pretty well done.
That's a fascinating and horrifying article. Basically no one paid much attention to engineering or safety until tragedy struck. I noticed that barges spent a good deal of time wetting the lower tiers of this fire, hoping to prolong collapse. I wonder if they were to fail how far the tower could fall to one side. It strikes me as similarly reckless.
posted by Popular Ethics at 3:37 PM on June 29, 2016
That's a fascinating and horrifying article. Basically no one paid much attention to engineering or safety until tragedy struck. I noticed that barges spent a good deal of time wetting the lower tiers of this fire, hoping to prolong collapse. I wonder if they were to fail how far the tower could fall to one side. It strikes me as similarly reckless.
posted by Popular Ethics at 3:37 PM on June 29, 2016
I immediately thought of that Aggie bonfire, as well. It's a big bonfire, so that's fun to watch, but why do a giant bonfire at midsummer, when it's light out, instead of during the long winter night at the Winter Solstice?
posted by theora55 at 4:18 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by theora55 at 4:18 PM on June 29, 2016
Is this bigger than that other fire? Firey Dude or something like that? Somewhere in Nevada or possibly the Bay Area in Nevada?
You're thinking of the Wicker Man. It's on an island off the coast of England. "Canada" or something like that.
posted by Anoplura at 6:09 PM on June 29, 2016
You're thinking of the Wicker Man. It's on an island off the coast of England. "Canada" or something like that.
posted by Anoplura at 6:09 PM on June 29, 2016
I was most impressed by the collapsing starting at 3:18. I thought that part was being filmed at night, but after it collapsed it was revealed that no, the sun was up and the fire was just so damn bright that it made the sky look near-black in contrast.
posted by NMcCoy at 10:58 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by NMcCoy at 10:58 PM on June 29, 2016
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I mean there's actually a building marked on all the maps as "the building that survived the fire."
Though they did get some really neat architecture out of that. For some reason, including what had to be the coolest drug store in Scandinavia, or possibly anywhere.
posted by Naberius at 10:51 AM on June 29, 2016