DISASTER Philadelphia: Tanker fire underneath I-95 causes entire northbound overpass to collapse
- Thread starter mzkitty
- Start date
mzkitty
I give up.
Whew! Glad I don' drive Maine to Florida every day.
CTFIREBATTCHIEF
Veteran Member
and the crazy bastard who filmed that drove OVER the bridge as it was burning underneath. that was a HELL of a dip at the end, the support structure was already buckling from the heat. He needs to buy a lottery ticket with that kind of luck
Doc1
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Concrete can fail rapidly and catastrophically when subjected to high temperatures. When concrete is setting, it is not 'drying' as many people believe, but goes through a process called hydration. This is where compounds in cement form chemical bonds with water molecules.
When you see old concrete on a bridge or highway, it looks completely dry, but it is still loaded with water. You don't see the water because it has combined with other compounds in the concrete, but the water is still there! When subjected to high heat, the water disassociates from these compounds and forms steam. This steam, rapidly expanding, violently blows small chunks of concrete away from the structure in a process known as spalling.
With enough heat and enough time, even large structures like the overpass shown in the OP will catastrophically fail.
Best
Doc
When you see old concrete on a bridge or highway, it looks completely dry, but it is still loaded with water. You don't see the water because it has combined with other compounds in the concrete, but the water is still there! When subjected to high heat, the water disassociates from these compounds and forms steam. This steam, rapidly expanding, violently blows small chunks of concrete away from the structure in a process known as spalling.
With enough heat and enough time, even large structures like the overpass shown in the OP will catastrophically fail.
Best
Doc
The fire is still smoldering.
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205 watching now Started streaming 9 minutes ago
All north and southbound lanes are completely closed after a fire broke out on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia Sunday morning, causing part of the interstate to collapse.
View: https://youtu.be/2Qhdd6kbSRo
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205 watching now Started streaming 9 minutes ago
All north and southbound lanes are completely closed after a fire broke out on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia Sunday morning, causing part of the interstate to collapse.
LIVE: Portion of I-95 collapses in Philadelphia after tanker trunk fire
jward
passin' thru
The Spectator Index
@spectatorindex
3m
BREAKING: Fuel tanker explodes on Philadelphia highway, causing an entire overpass to collapse.
View: https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/1667877794184044549?s=20
pauldingbabe
The Great Cat
Same thing happened here in Atlanta on I75 or 85 ? A few years ago.
What a mess.
What a mess.
Firebird
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I remember that, what a mess
Macgyver
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Ok so looking at a map. That section was done in the last 2 years. The latest section done is just to the south.
The last section that was done was supposed to be a 3 year project. It got fast tracked by pendot because it was so bad and ready to collapse. They did it in 9 months.
The last section that was done was supposed to be a 3 year project. It got fast tracked by pendot because it was so bad and ready to collapse. They did it in 9 months.
CTFIREBATTCHIEF
Veteran Member
that will probably be closed for at least a few months. I've driven that stretch of 95 many times over the years. the alternates such as I-295 and the Jersey Turnpike are going to be a LOT busier this summer driving season.
wobble
Veteran Member
Too bad there wont be an inadvertent distractional boost to homeless peoples that reside under bridges where critical amd extremely flammable infrastructure components are stored.
Maybe this event can be used to highlight the potential dangers and damages caused by humans driving flammable liquids under critical infrastructures and really emphasize the need for AI Driver-Pilots while they spend the next 10 months updating this bridge.
Maybe this event can be used to highlight the potential dangers and damages caused by humans driving flammable liquids under critical infrastructures and really emphasize the need for AI Driver-Pilots while they spend the next 10 months updating this bridge.
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wobble
Veteran Member
I think it's already been condemned.
Countrymouse
Country exile in the city
Yep--and ours was just because a homeless man set a bunch of cables on fire (apparently to keep warm). GA DOT had for some unaccountable reason stored masses of them under a whole series of bridges in that area, and the fire collapsed a main bridge. Atlanta traffic essentially suffered a heart attack.
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RememberGoliad
Veteran Member
Texas' temporary solution? Bring in a whole buttload of crushed limestone, and hang two orange signs: "ROUGH ROAD" and "DIP IN ROAD"
Macgyver
Has No Life - Lives on TB
If it not collapsed they will add steel work underneath to keep it from collapsing and use it till the other side is done.
Lots of these elevated areas had added supports because they were falling apart.
wobble
Veteran Member
The Cheshire Bridge bridge ALSO suffered a homeless fire resulting in condemnation that took over a year to fix.
And as the crow flies, Cheshire Bridge bridge is about five seconds away from I 85 bridge.
wobble
Veteran Member
Are you aware of the bridge about 200 yards or so away from the I85 bridge that "caught on fire" and has been closed for months, creating a dead end on Cheshire Bridge?
It is supposed to take a YEAR to "fix" this one.
Demolition Begins On Fire-Damaged Cheshire Bridge Road Bridge
Atlanta crews started tearing down the bridge over Peachtree Creek on Cheshire Bridge Road months after a fire left the structure unsafe.patch.com
Just looking at a map and it looks farther than 200 yards..but when at this bridge you can clearly see the I 85 rebuilt bridge.
Also there was a train bridge fire in this swath just after the 85 bridge collapse.
Just very odd.
ALERT - Fire Under Major Interstate in Downtown Atlanta
Per Channel 5 (FOX) news just now: http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/245059796-story Sophia Broner Barry Thomas Basil Eleby The last is black; I didn't see pics of the first two. All three are homeless. What police are trying to find out is WHAT THEY USED to catch all that PVC conduit (for...
Vegas321
Live free and survive
Russian separatist...
Why I never hang close to trucks in traffic, especially tankers.
Moreso in curves.
Moreso in curves.
wobble
Veteran Member
There is an uncanny pattern of homeless or tankers bringing down extremely important critical infrastructure bridges.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
You’ll get there Thursday.
Never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
Is your map aware of a million of your closest friends also doing that Monday?
Should have been shutdown before then.
Melodi
Disaster Cat
The problem of homeless people setting fires that bring down bridges and create other issues has been growing for some time. And it is likely to get worse as the homeless problem grows as far back as the early 1990s, the Oakland Hill firestorm was traced to two homeless men who were sleeping up in the hills, and they were trying to keep warm and make coffee. Even in a heatwave, the California Coast gets rather cold at night. The poor guys had even tried to do the right thing. They knew there was fire danger, but their options were risk-freezing or making a fire. So after they made their coffee and things warmed up, they carefully put the fire out and buried it how you are supposed to. Under most conditions, that would have been enough. Still, it got so hot that day (I know I was working overtime on Saturday and thinking, "This is really dangerous fire weather.") It smoldered undetected for about 24 hours and then burst into flames on Sunday morning. I do wonder if something like that is happening with the bridges. And not all homeless people try to be as careful (or even know how to be as careful as those guys were).
It would also be a great "cover" for intentional terrorism, even done once removed. Pay some homeless guys a pittance (or give them drugs) in exchange for "forgetting" to put out their fire correctly or do it in a certain place. But my guess is, unless evidence comes up to say otherwise, these are accidents.
Accidents will get increasingly worse as the homeless population grows. And it will be compounded by people stealing copper, cables, and anything else they think they can sell or use to support themselves. Not all homeless people are drugged-burnout cases that laying around waiting to die. Some are, but some are not.
It would also be a great "cover" for intentional terrorism, even done once removed. Pay some homeless guys a pittance (or give them drugs) in exchange for "forgetting" to put out their fire correctly or do it in a certain place. But my guess is, unless evidence comes up to say otherwise, these are accidents.
Accidents will get increasingly worse as the homeless population grows. And it will be compounded by people stealing copper, cables, and anything else they think they can sell or use to support themselves. Not all homeless people are drugged-burnout cases that laying around waiting to die. Some are, but some are not.
I was going to point that out, but figured not to set off that 'subset" this morning...
But yeppers.