Wood Heap on fire!!!

[kiwigeo]

No not my tonewood stash as some of you would hope.

I was zipping up the freeway yesterday heading home to the Adelaide Hills when I spied a truck by the side of the road with flames blazing from a pile of floorboards on the back of the vehicle. On the back was the driver frantically trying to put the fire out with his hands and in front of the truck was a ute and 2 guys jumping up and down and giving directions to the truckie and not being of much use. I slammed the brakes on, grabbed the powder fire extinguisher in the back of the car and raced back to the blazing truckload of wood. I pulled the pin on the extinguisher and doused the flames.....copping a face full of dry powder in the process. With the fire out I headed to my favourite cafe and got some strange looks as I walked in looking like Id just come out of an explosion in a flour factory. 5 minutes later the local CFS truck went tearing up the street...they would have been dismayed to find the fire already out.

Anyway I guess the moral of the story is 1). dont stack a pile of wood in the back of your truclk right next to a hot exhaust pipe and b). carry a fire extinguisher in your vehicle....it might not save you vehicle but it may make someone elses day.

[Nick]

On the back was the driver frantically trying to put the fire out with his hands

Candidate for the Darwin awards I'd say, what did he hope? That clapping furiously would whip up a wind & extinguish the flames or was he actually trying to douse that hot flamey orange stuff with his bare hands?! The mind just boggles sometimes.

But congrats on saving the day though Martin, at least the wood didn't suffer

[kiwigeo]

I recall smelling burning wood most of the way up the freeway so the truck must have been just in front of me and burning for most of its trip up the hill.

Working out now if its going to be cheaper getting the extinguisher recharged or buy a new one.....the things only cost $20 at Mitre 10. A cheap form of insurance IMHO.

As an aside...check out this article in The Press online: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/c ... quefaction

Note some of the idiotic comments from some readers regarding whether or not Mark followed OHS regulations while digging the hole in his backyard.

[Nick]

Note some of the idiotic comments from some readers regarding whether or not Mark followed OHS regulations while digging the hole in his backyard.

The wowsers are everywhere, I wonder what they made of the picture that was in the same edition
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/c ... -come-down

Apoplexy I would imagine.
Danny (my workmate whom you met) & I were having a laugh after seeing that picture on the high beam & were wondering if WW2 would have gone ahead if OHS had been around in those days, imagine every new weapon or piece of ammunition would have to have hazard identification form filled out, MSDS sheets for the ammo chemicals. Every trench that was dug would have to be inspected & modifications made before occupation. A full safety briefing before every action or raid & everybody issued with the appropriate personal protection and finally an investigation everytime somebody got hurt. Don't think Hitler would have bothered invading Poland.

[MBP]

No not my tonewood stash as some of you would hope.

This is something that occasionally plays on my mind. I live in an area that does get bush fires and I often think what I would do if the wood caught on fire.

When do we get to see photos of your wood stash

[Nick]

When do we get to see photos of your wood stash

Martin's waiting for the boffins to devise an extremely wide angle lens that will get everything into focus below a thirty metre range. Currently it would need the widest fish eye lens & to be standing on the Adelaide hills.....or the Huble space telescope, to get it all in!

[charangohabsburg]

You guys are dreaming. The tale that Martin would possess any wood at all is just another luthier's myth!