Back in 1992 I was working at Ellsworth AFB in S.D. as a crane operator. We were putting in a pipeline for JP-4 jetfuel (all stainless). I was working with the fitters swinging pipe. Well it was boring except for this one day. I picked a 40' stick of 18" pipe and put it in the rack for the fitter. I would then sit there and wait until he finished making his cut and then pick it off the rack and repeat the process. The pipe had a yellow plastic coating held to the pipe with some sort of tar material. The fitter would heat the tar with a weed burner then clean it off with gasoline.
So I am sitting 50' away watching him work. mark his cut, peel the plastic them heat the tar. After it cooled slightly he would pour gasoline over the pipe and scrape the tar off. Well he puts the weedburner aside and pours the gas. (weedburner had a built in pilot) Well you can guess what happened next. I heard a "poof" then watched a blanket of fire 10' by 10' engulf the fitter and the pipe. I jumped out of the crane and grabbed the fire extinguisher off the side putting the fire out. The only thing that saved the fitter from serious injury was that he was wearing full leathers and the gas can was a safety can. After putting the fire oput there was a little flame still coming out of the gas can spout like an oil lamp. So it got the last shot from the extinguisher. If that had been a Jerry Jug things would have probably turned out differently.
Threaded Mode