I posted this in response to Joe 'Clewless's' warning about storing dangerous stuff in reach of kids. I didn't want to detract from his important advise with a funny story so it is here. This is 100% true.
Several years ago, while I was doing my appreniceship and living in South Africa, I nearly caused the deaths of my work mates.
We had been working on a very remote site for a few months. There was eight of us living in a brand new, hired, small caravan with a tent attached.
We all had very upset stomachs from the bad water on site. It was freezing cold and we had one guy who was HUGE. It took him at least half an hour every night to get in his sleeping bag. It was one of those nylon types that zip up all the way around your head.
We had one guy who used to make the morning coffee for all of us before we got up. He was pretty thick. Anyway, we only had a couple of days left on site. We had finished re-furbishing some electrical switchgear and decided to give it a once over with a spray paint.
Our office sent us some paint and thinners for it. The thinners arrived in 2 x 2 litre plastic coke bottles. That night around supper camp fire, the thick guy asked what was in the bottles. I told him it was good Durban ( our home town ) water that the office had sent as a present, cos we were all sick from the site water. Him and everyone else had a good laugh. I thought nothing more of it.
In the morning he came into the caravan, filled the kettle with one of the bottles of thinners, lit the gas stove and put the kettle on it. He then went with all the cups to wash them in the site resoviour, while the 'water' boiled.
My foreman woke up first and thought that it was instantly summer!!
But it was still dark outside. There was a three foot flame coming out of the kettle spout. The entire caravan ceiling was on fire. The vinyl ceiling lining was dripping down on us with little balls of flame. Shaun's ( the big guy ) nylon sleeping bag was well and truely ablaze!! But he couldn't get out of it. We crawled out of the caravan and dragged him and his bag with us. We eventually ripped it off him. By this stage, the caravan had had it, along with all our personal kit inside. Most of us just had boxers on.
Boniface ( the thick guy ) saw the carnage and came bombing back towards the mess. He grabbed the second bottle of thinners and tried to put the flames out!!!
Fortunately and meraculously, nobody was injured. As far as I know the caravan is still there!!![:I]
I got an extra year put on to my apprenticeship.
I'm sure there is a moral in there somewhere!!!
Several years ago, while I was doing my appreniceship and living in South Africa, I nearly caused the deaths of my work mates.
We had been working on a very remote site for a few months. There was eight of us living in a brand new, hired, small caravan with a tent attached.
We all had very upset stomachs from the bad water on site. It was freezing cold and we had one guy who was HUGE. It took him at least half an hour every night to get in his sleeping bag. It was one of those nylon types that zip up all the way around your head.
We had one guy who used to make the morning coffee for all of us before we got up. He was pretty thick. Anyway, we only had a couple of days left on site. We had finished re-furbishing some electrical switchgear and decided to give it a once over with a spray paint.
Our office sent us some paint and thinners for it. The thinners arrived in 2 x 2 litre plastic coke bottles. That night around supper camp fire, the thick guy asked what was in the bottles. I told him it was good Durban ( our home town ) water that the office had sent as a present, cos we were all sick from the site water. Him and everyone else had a good laugh. I thought nothing more of it.
In the morning he came into the caravan, filled the kettle with one of the bottles of thinners, lit the gas stove and put the kettle on it. He then went with all the cups to wash them in the site resoviour, while the 'water' boiled.
My foreman woke up first and thought that it was instantly summer!!
But it was still dark outside. There was a three foot flame coming out of the kettle spout. The entire caravan ceiling was on fire. The vinyl ceiling lining was dripping down on us with little balls of flame. Shaun's ( the big guy ) nylon sleeping bag was well and truely ablaze!! But he couldn't get out of it. We crawled out of the caravan and dragged him and his bag with us. We eventually ripped it off him. By this stage, the caravan had had it, along with all our personal kit inside. Most of us just had boxers on.
Boniface ( the thick guy ) saw the carnage and came bombing back towards the mess. He grabbed the second bottle of thinners and tried to put the flames out!!!
Fortunately and meraculously, nobody was injured. As far as I know the caravan is still there!!![:I]
I got an extra year put on to my apprenticeship.
I'm sure there is a moral in there somewhere!!!
