You really have to feel for these lads.



AN ACCIDENTAL welding fire at a Dundee garage has caused at least £50,000 of damage to vehicles and property, the police have confirmed.

The premises in Lower Pleasance were burned out in a blaze on Tuesday and the flames also destroyed five cars and a Ford Transit van, which were in the garage at the time.

Police confirmed on Wednesday that the blaze was being treated as an accident and said the fire was probably sparked during welding work.

The building was engulfed within minutes and employee Philip Lynch and a colleague had to flee the flames.

In the immediate aftermath, Mr Lynch said, “I lifted my welding mask up and saw the whole garage area was on fire.

“We didn’t have time to move the vehicles. We just had to get out of there.”

There was initially concern that a potentially explosive oxyacetylene cylinder was in the garage but it was soon established that the cylinder was in an adjoining unit and it was removed.

The fire service said an investigation had been concluded and the incident was now closed.


always a threat when welding in a workshop

[Edited on 26-12-08 by mangogrooveworkshop]

I always check back after 10 minutes then 30 minutes after I've finished.

I also have 2 fire extinguishers next to where I'm working.

You can't be too carefull.

i remember accidentally setting fire to a lump of dead grass under a shelf once the kind of fire where you try to blow it out and it gets bigger

always make sure i hang about for a good long while after now

[Edited on 27/12/08 by blakep82]

Before we had the fire last year the took out our workshop (which we can only assume was an electrical fault), I was about to start locking up when I caught a faint whiff of something that I knew wasn't right.

Didn't smell it again for a couple of minutes, but couldn't get it out of my head and had to find the source.

After about five minutes wandering around, I looked at the obvious - one of the gas blowtorches had been hung up (not by me!), and the nozzle was touching one of the polishing mops, most of which were looking very likely to combust.

Took all outside and soaked, had a good look at surrounding area - no heat on walls (timber building!), so went home. I'd like to say I hate to think what would have happened, but I know what did happen some months later.

If in doubt, check it out!

ATB

Simon

Whitfield Garage, Dover on Christmas Eve 1970 a young apprentice was allowed to bring his Ford Cosair GT onto the first floor workshop to do some repairs. He wanted to take his mum & dad out for Christmas. Unknown to him the car had a fuel leak, two jump leads touched together and bang the whole car and workshop went up, including two breakdown trucks, eight customers cars, workshop equipment, parts deparment and most of the garage roof were lost. The garage owner took pity on this young lad and gave him an Austin Cambridge to borrow for the Christmas which unfortunately did not have anti-freeze in. On Christmas Eve the engine froze. This knocked out the core plugs, and as the temp gauge did not work, on the way out on Christmas Day to see relatives it overheated and the engine siezed solid - That young apprentice was me, oh well sh1t happens

^^^^^^^^i hope your luck has changed now
cheers
colin

A couple of years back there was someone in Carlisle who had a fire while working on a Motorbike. They were doing some welding, & also trying to sort a petrol leak! The garage was fine, but that was because they were working in the front room of their house!!!
Sometimes you dont feel so sorry for them!