Fire!

Fire!
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

I wish I had gotten a picture of this when it happened but alas no photo. The (diesel) heater caught on fire in one of the offices in my building and pretty much managed to add a layer of soot in minutes. The person walked in saw the thing gurgling and spitting out fiery blobs of diesel so he picked it up, ran to the balcony and tossed it over the side (burning his hand in the process). There was a trail of burn marks on the rug between his office and the balcony where the fiery drops of diesel left their mark (and they have yet to change the rug months later [yes, I am behind on my posting]). The kicker for me is this was the second fire in two months.

These heaters are pretty simple in design, they have a can of diesel that drips into a pipe that puddles at the base of a larger can and is lit. The problem is that if any dust/dirt gets into the tank/can that holds the fuel it can temporarily clog up the spout and if you have turned it up a bit more turn your back and whatever dirt/dust frees itself the spout starts gushing diesel which overflows the part where the fire is and viola! Deathtrap.