Safety alert : Bonfires/out door burning

[firefighter3931]

We've all been to bonfires in the past so this is just a heads up for those of us who attend or host these gatherings. Be careful when using an excellerant to ignite the fire to get things rolling. Under no circumstances use gasoline as an ignitor. 

Below is a tragic story of a teenage girl who suffered horrific burns as a result of a gasoline fueled bonfire. The ATF recreates the incident showing the potential hazard and disasterous consequences. Please review this video with friends and family to educate them on the potential dangers. 


http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/baltimore_county/atf-studies-fire-phenomenon-that-a-burned-baltimore-county-teenager



Ron

[Charger-Bodie]

Wow. Terrible stuff there. Thanks Ron.

[Dino]

I go to the burn unit at the hospital every Wednesday and most of what we see there is things like these, unfortunately I'm rarely surprised to hear how accidents happen, you almost expect them to roll in the next that thought it was a good idea to combine gasoline and an open flame.

I've been seeing a guy in his late twenties for a while now, I take care of his (remaining) foot orthotic while others take care of his prosthetics.  He was 19 or so, sitting at a campfire with some buddies when one of them thought it wise to dump some gasoline on the fire.  My patient had a half full can next to him that blew up and took much of his right side with it. 

Very very sad.

[Big Sugar]

You know Ron we've all done it or seen it done , especially when there is alcohol involved.  
 We seem to think we're invincible and it'll be ok....but in the end we really are PLAYING with fire.
Any second or third degree burn will haunt you for years to come, in some cases for the rest of your
Life .

Thank you Ron
I will show this to my dauhter right now.

[ACUDANUT]

Don't throw ammo into a fire either.

[polywideblock]

what about "playing  commando" used to be all the rage over here run up and throw a can of baked beans or spaghetti in the fire . boom beans or spag everywhere      but where did the bits of can go?

[Daytona R/T SE]

Small chunks of magnesium thrown into a bonfire are always a crowd pleaser.

[Mopar Nut]

Thanks for posting, I remember a kid throwing kerosene on one once.

[Chad L. Magee]

Small chunks of magnesium thrown into a bonfire are always a crowd pleaser.

We use that as a controlled demostration (small Mg ribbon in a hood) in one of my chemistry labs, explaining that the Mg is being oxidized into MgO in the combustion process with oxygen.  The problem is that too many people want to stare at it when it goes, which is a bad thing to do to your eyes (even after we tell them not to do it).  It is in the strobing fireworks that you can get on the 4th of July that you lay on the ground and watch it flicker bright/dim/bright.....

Speaking of playing with fire, I used to work with 1,1'-dilithiated ferrocene reactions on a Schlink line years ago. (pyrophoric in air + in a flammable solvent).  My old research lab at MU had the 4/4/4 (plus Ox, Rad, and Poison) on the doors for a reason.  Ahh, those were the days....

[71ChallengeHer]

Ron, thanks. I showed this to Shelby . Since a lot of the college kids have bonfires. 

[Rolling_Thunder]

I have used gas as an starter before - but never use once there is a flame...     Usually my friends and I had the "go big or go home" mentality of dousing wood in gas and then standing about 50ft back and using a road flare to light it up....      Usually never needed any additional fluid after that.

[bull]

A similar thing happened to a friend of mine a few years ago near my home town. He and some friends were out cutting firewood in late summer and went to build a camp fire. He got impatient and decided to take a shortcut using gas to get the fire going and ended up in a Portland hospital with third degree burns on his legs.

[Iceyone]

You just have to be careful.