Sad Mishaps / Stupid Acts on the 4th

[kg4kww]

Was it a full moon on the 4th or did some have a 5th on the 4th??

In a Detroit suburb, an explosion that could be felt blocks away injured two brothers who authorities believe were trying to make fireworks in a maintenance building at an apartment complex.

The men, in their 30s, were in critical condition following the Fourth of July blast in Oakland County's Independence Township, about 30 miles northwest of Detroit, authorities said.

"Obviously something went wrong, we're not sure if it was static electricity or they did something else stupid," said Oakland County Sheriff's Sgt. Kevin McCall.

Full Story (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/05/fireworks.ap/index.html)

[kc2orw]

A fifth I imagine...
The young fellows (Volunteer Fire Fighters) at the station got a bit carried away and ended up landing them on folks roofs around me. No harm was done but these folks seem not to be old enough to recall that the old timers had set a field on fire back in the late sixties. In that case they (the Volleys) had been firing them at a town approved event and had to stop the display in order to go put the fire out. They had done something like that before where they set someones roof on fire. We don't have any sanctioned fireworks anymore the area is too crowded.
I guess the old timers weren't around to inform them of embarrassing past events. History does have it's value at least if it isn't hidden.

[w3bny]

Sad Mishaps

Two un-named Sons/Daughters of the US died in Iraq for a lie.

Stupid Acts

1. We are still in Iraq
2. Folks still believe there are WMD's
3. Bush is still in office.
4. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif?
5. Profit.

[n8yx]

Quote[/b] (w3bny @ July 05 2007,11:13)]4. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif?
Halliburton?

Quote[/b] ]5. Profit.

Naturally...

[WA3WDR]

In Vienna, Virginia, one of the big mortar fireworks fell over and blasted into the crowd. A few people got removed by medevac helicopter.

I was lucky; there was an emergency at work, or I would have been right there.

[KD6NIG]

I commented in another thread this morning about the amount of gunfire, illegal fireworks (they are now banned in my city) and stuff I heard not only last night (though the most was last night) but over the past 2 weeks or so.

Seems like New Years Eve at 1159 and the 4th are weapon and other such item testing days.

A guard I work with told me that last night some kid (?) tried to light a gallon container of ammonia on fire in their parking lot last night. He was spotted by the apartment manager and was stopped from doing so.

I've been hearing M-80 type "POW!" noises for 2 weeks though.

And they got some guy for selling illegal fireworks north of here yesterday I guess.

But the smartest local brainchild?

The one who tried to get into a cargo container full of fireworks....

WITH A TORCH!

News 10: Blowtorch crooks attempt to steal fireworks (http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=29902)

[KD6NIG]

It gets worse:

Fauxnews story (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288206,00.html)

Small Excerpt:

CLEVELAND — A neighbor apparently angry about fireworks at a noisy Fourth of July party shot three people to death early Thursday and wounded two others, police said.

Terrance Hough Jr., a 35-year-old off-duty firefighter, was arrested in connection with the shootings, police spokesman Lt. Thomas Stacho said.

[KC2ESD]

The mishaps I do every day is to come to the Rag Chew section of QRZ. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[K8MHZ]

There was a guy that took a bunch of the little 'snappers' that you throw on the ground and tried to make a bomb out of them. #They blew up and took off one of his hands. #The other may have to be amputated.

Dangerous 'legal' fireworks (http://www.mlive.com/muskegon/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1183482936189490.xml&coll=8)

[kg4kww]

Ok, KD6NIG, I give up, please tell us how you light a gallon container of ammonia?

I don't think that ammonia will burn.

[K8MHZ]

Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ July 05 2007,09:55)]Ok, KD6NIG, I give up, please tell us how you light a gallon container of ammonia?

I don't think that ammonia will burn.
It depends on what may have been mixed with it.

Ammonium compounds (nitrates) mixed with fuel oil can be very explosive. #Substitute the fuel oil with iodine and you don't even need a fuse or a flame to set it off.

The active ingredient in the 'snappers' that blew off the guy in Shelby's hand was probably either ammonium or nitrogen tri-iodide.

Household ammonia is relatively safe however, especially the sudsy kind, and the guy was probably trying to follow some stupid Internet formula for making a bomb that in reality required commercial grade ammonium hydroxide in order to work.

[N4AUD]

I did something REALLY stupid on the 4th.


















I worked.

[W1GUH]

Me, too...

Well, household ammonia may be relatively safe...unless you get a strong whiff of it. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[KG6YTZ]

I <s>didn't</s> couldn't see anybody doing anything stupid, because I was at work*, but of course one can always hear the ambulances and fire trucks announcing the injury of some careless dimbulb somewhere.

Probably the dumbest fireworks stunt I've ever seen was the neighbor who tied a &quot;ground bloom flower&quot; - one of those spinning cylinders - to a skyrocket, twisted the fuses together, and launched it. Oh, the flower did indeed ignite in mid-air, and came spinning right on down into the top of a dry palm tree. Somehow, the idiot managed not to set the tree on fire.

* Incidentally, fireworks on TV just are NOT the same!

[k6pme]

Quote[/b] (n4aud @ July 05 2007,20:59)]I did something REALLY stupid on the 4th.


















I worked.
Yea, me too.

2 Drownings (RIP)
1 'prop bite' (a 13 y.o. will lose his lower leg)
3 Auto accidents
2 overdoses
about 15 fireworks complaints
a number of generic med. aids.


Busy day.

[KD6NIG]

Quote[/b] (n4aud @ July 05 2007,20:59)]I did something REALLY stupid on the 4th.


















I worked.
I did also. Was actually a quiet day, and with holiday pay, wages close to what I believe I should be earning.

My boss, of course, disagrees ;)

I don't know what happened with the ammonia thing. All that he saw was that it was a plastic bottle with some kind of fuse, but the manager saw the guy doing it (was towards dusk) and ran out there and stopped him before he lit it. The manager had been out in the parking lot watching for the past few days. Guess the lot is kinda small, and a lot of cars parked there with gas tanks that could go up was the reason. They had people setting off M-80s in that parking lot last year I guess. Someone was trying to be a pyro I suppose. Not good though. Homemade fireworks are never good.

It was really quiet on my block last night. Guess the past 2 weeks of it sounding like Beruit at times made it seem like that.

I was more worried about some idiot shooting a bottle rocket into weeds or something. Its been really dry this year, and it wouldn't take much of anything to get something going. I purposely watered my yard the evening of the 4th in case something happened to fly my way.

There was a tidbit on the news this morning though about people taking legal fireworks and converting them, and that a lot more local areas are considering a total ban. North of Sacramento there are a lot of groups that use fireworks sales for fundraising, some of them rely almost totally on it to survive each year. If these bans go into effect, they will have to find other sources of funding.

I have a feeling though that a bake sale, though it will make people fatter, would be better-at least they won't be losing body parts and setting property on fire with errant stuff.

[kg4kww]

Yep, I worked too!!

A friend of my wife lost her son to cancer.

Bummer

[n2ize]

Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ July 05 2007,14:55)]Ok, KD6NIG, I give up, please tell us how you light a gallon container of ammonia?

I don't think that ammonia will burn.
Well, household ammonia solution isn't. But Ammonia gas when mixed with air is both flammable and explosive. It was used as both a refrigerant and a fuel. Matter of fact the X15 rocket used ammonia as a fuel.

[W7WV]

We had some punk kids throwing fireworks out of their car on the 4th.
It set 10 fires along the highway very near my home.
I hope if they catch them (they have a description of the car and such) that they force the 4 kids to work for the Forest Service for free this hot summer.
It would serve them right and maybe they would learn something.