So we’d just gotten in the car with our friends Scott and Justine who are visiting from Bloomington. We hadn’t even left our block when Xy noticed smoke rising up from the porch of the house on the corner. Images of the many recent fires in New Orleans flashed through my mind as I jumped out of the car to investigate. The source of the smoke: the head of a mop which had spontaneously burst into flame in the blazing sun. I had a bottle of drinking water in my hand, so I poured it on the mop and extinguished the fire. A tenant popped out of the apartment and saw what was going on and thanked me. “Gracias.”
Fire Putter-Outer
Published inNeighbors
hey, sorry we missed your call (or rather, Scott’s). sounds like you guys are having a blast, wish i was there.
Ever thought of a change in profession? You sound like an excellent firefighter! J/K man.
OK, I’ll bite: why did that fucking mop burst into flames? I’ve never had a mop do that, no matter how hot it was outside. Do we have to worry about other ordinary cleaning implements bursting into flames? Are people mopping their floors with gasoline? Criminy.
I have no clue why the mop was burning so we can only speculate. There might have been some flammable liquid involved, but I suspect it may simply have been the heat. The mop head was resting on a black surface, kind of like asphault, which was extremely hot. If the mop was extremely dry, the notion that it simply burst into flame spontaneously seems plausible.
an explanation?
OK. As long as it didn’t speak or deliver an unknown new gospel of Mid-City.
Sounds like a job for mythbusters.
Hey Bart, Scott mentioned needing the latest tracks for new LCD for video footage. Let me know if you guys still need it.