If you only knew how much danger you were in and everyone standing under the wires over your head. Many times a faulted transformer will cause the 3 phase wires over head to fault. When this happenes, many times it causes wires in front of the faulted transformers to burn down to the ground. In other words, the wires overhead could have come down on top of you in the street along with another big ball of fire.
As an electrical engineer and a volunteer firefighter myself I'd like to say a few things: 1. I'm pleasantly surprised they weren't electricuted (I'm assuming the voltage is at least 10 kV - I'm from Europe and I'm not very familiar with the US grid). The only things preventing them from being electricuted are mainly the small air gaps between the droplets (which adds up over distance - air has a relatively high breakdown voltage - cca. 3 kV/mm), their gloves and boots (which are also probably a bit damp) and the relatively small resistance of water. These factors make extinguishing low/mains voltage electrical fires pretty safe (up to like 1000 V) if you take the right precautions (wear proper PPE, have enough safety distance and proper nozzle control - the straighter/fuller the stream is, the more conductive it is, so it's best to use as wide/spread out of a stream as possible while being as far as possible. It's not very smart to use the narrow/full stream because it acts as a good conductor.) Never use foam because impurities like soaps, salts, minerals etc. make water a lot more conductive which can be very dangerous. Personaly I would never try to extinguish high voltage like this with water (or let anyone else do it). 2. It could also get pretty dangerous if the cable/cables fell down because of step voltage. It's very important that no one is standing underneath or near the cables/poles. 3. Always remember that no material thing is worth more than your life. It's not worth losing 2 firefighters (which could also put others into danger as they would try to save them) over a stupid transformer, which is easily replacable and worth nothing compared to human life. Your family, friends, coworkers etc. need you. Take care of yourself and others and avoid risks as much as possible by following the proper protocols, wearing proper PPE, being careful and using common sense etc. The transformer didn't even pose much risk in terms of fire (the worst thing that could happen is that eventually the pole would have caught fire, if somehow the cables didn't snap or the power wouldn't be turned off by then). 4. They didn't even extinguish the arc, but the breaker which protects the powerline tripped and disconnected the power. The recloser quickly tried to turn it on again but the fault wasn't gone so it tripped it again. Reclosers exist because sometimes these faults can sort themselves out so it tries to return the power as soon as possible. 5. In a case like this, the smartest thing to do would probably be to: 5.1. Block off all the roads, remove all of the people and observe all of the surroundings 5.2. Connect the water supply and run a hose or two + nozzles and have them on standby in case nearby buildings, cars, trees, etc. catch fire 5.3. Try to get someone to disconnect the power or just wait for it to disconnect itself, call the electric company... 6. Obviously after prevention one of the most important things in firefighting is proper education. Everything goes safer and smoother if people are properly educated. It's hard to expect everyone to be knowleadgable about everything and always do everything perfectly, but we must always try our best. TLDR: Don't try to extinguish high voltage stuff (above 1000 V) with water. Don't put your life in danger trying to save material things, which is worthless compared to the cost of human life. Don't try to extinguish electrical equipment at home using hoses, sinks, buckets, but instead use a proper fire extinguisher (powder, CO2, ...), blanket (preferably fire blanket) or dirt, cement, sand etc. Also don't use foam extinguishers because they're not rated for it (foamy water conducts electricity pretty well). I apologise for any grammatical errors, English is not my first language. I'm also not an expert nor trained for emergencies like this, I'm just a volunteer so this comment is more of a personal opinion/sharing my knowledge. This is not a guide/a professional opinion. I hope someone learns something from this or it at least inspires someone to learn about the topic.
I can't believe they sprayed water on an electrical fire. The street was wet...they easily could have been electrocuted. They should have called the utilities to cut the power. Anyone standing on that wet street could have been fried.
Yeah. I am tempted to think they were trying to seem like they knew what they were doing but really didn't. Apparently they had the dumb onlookers fooled....
hey they are fire blozos you can't be a HEE-ROW if you aren't an eager beaver fire blozo " hey I'm a hot shit fire blozo!!! I gotta be a HEEE_ROW !! no matter what the cost!! or to whom!! don't git in my way!! i gotta be a HEEE-ROW!!!!
I love the way the firefighters get applause at the end, they did nothing other than seriously endanger their lives, what happened was a recloser at the substation opened.
That stupid man! Why are they cheering him on?!? They don't realize that that firefighter is risking his life putting water on the transformer fire. The water seems to be making it spark towards the end, too. That's just stupid!
Firefighters were in no real danger.. The water is really in little droplets and the electricty will not jump the gaps between water droplets for that distance especially if the water doesn't happen to contain anything that would make it conduct well.. If it were a completely solid stream and they were using water with lots of impurities dissolved in it, then ya, the firemen could get lit up as well as anyone touching the fire apparatus or anything in contact with the water IF its not grounded
REWYRED...There's not too many people who would have enough faith in your statement to actually spray water directly on high voltage mishaps like this one.
Are you freaking kidding me? Did you fall asleep during electrical fire class in probie school? Good to know that your officer actually OK'd you guys USING WATER ON A POWER LINE FIRE! Congrats on not dying.
Amazing how many people are standing directly under the wires without any thought how if that pole falls the live wires will fall right onto them!! Also I don't know how stupid you have to be to think spraying water onto live electrical fires is smart! Are people really that mindless!?
The real danger is if they stand under the transformer. Transformers use oil as a means of heat dissipation. And if the oil becomes contaminated by water, it will fail. Introducing arcing, and fire which can cause the oil to boil, spill, and catch fire. Those are very scary, but rare. I think the reason why firefighters were spraying water, was not to put out the fire. But to protect property by making it less flammable. The power company was probably working to shut off power. Firefighters are trained for these situations.
People love endangering their lives, what would have happened there if a power line melted and fell to the ground live on top of some of them? Then they'll blame the electric company huh? Smh yes electricity is awe inspiring but deadly as well
Yaay thanks firefighters for saving these brilliant people standing directly beneath the lines while the treated wooden pole was clearly burning.. 😄 Yaaay let's film our potential death!
apparently no one there has ever seen anything like this, since EVERYONE had their damn phone out and was recording it. LOL Is there NEVER any excitement around your neighborhood?
Same here. I'd be running away from that whole area, just as fast as I could. I know what that kind of power can do to people and property. These people here are idiots for taking that much risk unnecessarily.
I don't understand how spraying it with water stopped the arcing. My intuition says it shouldn't make any difference at all... Did they cut the power while they were spraying it?
All of those people were stupid enough to stand directly underneath energized power lines that could have easily fell on them. The pole could have burned on through, making the lines fall. They also don't understand step potential.
Spraying water on it is really bad like what if it travels through it and at him? I’m surprised it put it out and didn’t make it worse. They didn’t even wait for the electric company to shut off the power which is what they’re supposed to do before putting out the fire.
Because it was a high voltage ( probably between 7200 to 25000 volts ) electrical fire. It won't stop until power is shut off at breakers or the electrical substation.
distilled water from an attack line? nah. no way, no how. the only distilled water youll see a firefighter use is an extinguisher, its blue and white, seen in most school computer labs
😊 one should not under any circumstances, chuck water on an electrical fire. Several things are possible in the event electricity makes contact with water. 1. Its similar in effect to chucking water onto hot oil, it can cause the fat to explode and soread the fire to surrounding area. 2. Electricity can be conducted by the addition of water. This can cause a surge of power at ground level and harm people who might be standing in the wrong place at the time. This would be similar to being struck like lightning especially in wet conditions as yhe bolt hits at ground level. Why wasn't the electric,/utility company called to deal with this type of power surge? They surely would have been able to isolate the power and stop the ignition process that was helping to spark the flames and keep the fire burning. Also there was the risk that the power lines could have collapsed to ground, thereby adding further risk to onlookers and to the firemen attemptimg to msnage the fire in the girst instance. I find it hard to believe that the firebrigade do not have an alternative means to smother the flames other than water. Clearly extremely risky business and I am glad to see that no-one suffered loss that day. 😊 😱😫🥴🏴🇬🇧😠
If I was there when it happened, I would be running like hell, just to get as far away as I could, and as fast as I could. I'm deadly afraid of electricity, especially high voltage with high amperage.
That's it officer, guide everyone along under the wires just in case the pose snaps, don't want those wires landing on the road now, do we? @munkyboy85 pure water doesn't conduct electricity, there's a video on RUclips of guys washing insulators in a live substation! Wouldn't expect the fire dept to have a tankerful of pure water though, so yes that guy would be asking for trouble!
![Eminem - Fuel (Shady Edition) feat. Westside Boogie & GRIP [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/k1OquBida9s/mqdefault.jpg)
Let's film from bellow the cables!!! Great idea!!! OMG!!!
Right, 😲
If you only knew how much danger you were in and everyone standing under the wires over your head. Many times a faulted transformer will cause the 3 phase wires over head to fault. When this happenes, many times it causes wires in front of the faulted transformers to burn down to the ground. In other words, the wires overhead could have come down on top of you in the street along with another big ball of fire.
One thing I have learned while binge watching all of these vids....
Unbridled Electricity is loud ad hell!
As an electrical engineer and a volunteer firefighter myself I'd like to say a few things:
1. I'm pleasantly surprised they weren't electricuted (I'm assuming the voltage is at least 10 kV - I'm from Europe and I'm not very familiar with the US grid). The only things preventing them from being electricuted are mainly the small air gaps between the droplets (which adds up over distance - air has a relatively high breakdown voltage - cca. 3 kV/mm), their gloves and boots (which are also probably a bit damp) and the relatively small resistance of water. These factors make extinguishing low/mains voltage electrical fires pretty safe (up to like 1000 V) if you take the right precautions (wear proper PPE, have enough safety distance and proper nozzle control - the straighter/fuller the stream is, the more conductive it is, so it's best to use as wide/spread out of a stream as possible while being as far as possible. It's not very smart to use the narrow/full stream because it acts as a good conductor.) Never use foam because impurities like soaps, salts, minerals etc. make water a lot more conductive which can be very dangerous. Personaly I would never try to extinguish high voltage like this with water (or let anyone else do it).
2. It could also get pretty dangerous if the cable/cables fell down because of step voltage. It's very important that no one is standing underneath or near the cables/poles.
3. Always remember that no material thing is worth more than your life. It's not worth losing 2 firefighters (which could also put others into danger as they would try to save them) over a stupid transformer, which is easily replacable and worth nothing compared to human life. Your family, friends, coworkers etc. need you. Take care of yourself and others and avoid risks as much as possible by following the proper protocols, wearing proper PPE, being careful and using common sense etc. The transformer didn't even pose much risk in terms of fire (the worst thing that could happen is that eventually the pole would have caught fire, if somehow the cables didn't snap or the power wouldn't be turned off by then).
4. They didn't even extinguish the arc, but the breaker which protects the powerline tripped and disconnected the power. The recloser quickly tried to turn it on again but the fault wasn't gone so it tripped it again. Reclosers exist because sometimes these faults can sort themselves out so it tries to return the power as soon as possible.
5. In a case like this, the smartest thing to do would probably be to:
5.1. Block off all the roads, remove all of the people and observe all of the surroundings
5.2. Connect the water supply and run a hose or two + nozzles and have them on standby in case nearby buildings, cars, trees, etc. catch fire
5.3. Try to get someone to disconnect the power or just wait for it to disconnect itself, call the electric company...
6. Obviously after prevention one of the most important things in firefighting is proper education. Everything goes safer and smoother if people are properly educated. It's hard to expect everyone to be knowleadgable about everything and always do everything perfectly, but we must always try our best.
TLDR: Don't try to extinguish high voltage stuff (above 1000 V) with water. Don't put your life in danger trying to save material things, which is worthless compared to the cost of human life. Don't try to extinguish electrical equipment at home using hoses, sinks, buckets, but instead use a proper fire extinguisher (powder, CO2, ...), blanket (preferably fire blanket) or dirt, cement, sand etc. Also don't use foam extinguishers because they're not rated for it (foamy water conducts electricity pretty well).
I apologise for any grammatical errors, English is not my first language. I'm also not an expert nor trained for emergencies like this, I'm just a volunteer so this comment is more of a personal opinion/sharing my knowledge. This is not a guide/a professional opinion. I hope someone learns something from this or it at least inspires someone to learn about the topic.
I can't believe they sprayed water on an electrical fire. The street was wet...they easily could have been electrocuted. They should have called the utilities to cut the power. Anyone standing on that wet street could have been fried.
Those firemen took an awful risk, possibly creating an alternative path to ground. That could have been bad.
Yeah. I am tempted to think they were trying to seem like they knew what they were doing but really didn't. Apparently they had the dumb onlookers fooled....
hey they are fire blozos you can't be a HEE-ROW if you aren't an eager beaver fire blozo " hey I'm a hot shit fire blozo!!! I gotta be a HEEE_ROW !! no matter what the cost!! or to whom!! don't git in my way!! i gotta be a HEEE-ROW!!!!
Exactly what kind of idiots do things like this!!! They are extremely lucky they were not all fried
Are you freaking kidding me. You trained these guys. That could easily follow that water right down to them.
I love the way the firefighters get applause at the end, they did nothing other than seriously endanger their lives, what happened was a recloser at the substation opened.
How crazy spraying water to live electic line!
😳👻💣
That's not a transformer that's a recloser
That stupid man! Why are they cheering him on?!? They don't realize that that firefighter is risking his life putting water on the transformer fire. The water seems to be making it spark towards the end, too. That's just stupid!
You forgot to mention your old house is there and there's your room.
Anyone know if this guy ever got a view of his old crib? How about his old room?
I was always told to NOT put water on an electrical fire. I'm 99% sure that water conducts electricity. Nice to see no one got hurt. But yikes.
Firefighters were in no real danger.. The water is really in little droplets and the electricty will not jump the gaps between water droplets for that distance especially if the water doesn't happen to contain anything that would make it conduct well.. If it were a completely solid stream and they were using water with lots of impurities dissolved in it, then ya, the firemen could get lit up as well as anyone touching the fire apparatus or anything in contact with the water IF its not grounded
REWYRED...There's not too many people who would have enough faith in your statement to actually spray water directly on high voltage mishaps like this one.
Are you freaking kidding me? Did you fall asleep during electrical fire class in probie school? Good to know that your officer actually OK'd you guys USING WATER ON A POWER LINE FIRE! Congrats on not dying.
Amazing how many people are standing directly under the wires without any thought how if that pole falls the live wires will fall right onto them!!
Also I don't know how stupid you have to be to think spraying water onto live electrical fires is smart! Are people really that mindless!?
I know right? Like geeez...they don't realize that they are at increased danger!
The real danger is if they stand under the transformer. Transformers use oil as a means of heat dissipation. And if the oil becomes contaminated by water, it will fail. Introducing arcing, and fire which can cause the oil to boil, spill, and catch fire. Those are very scary, but rare.
I think the reason why firefighters were spraying water, was not to put out the fire. But to protect property by making it less flammable. The power company was probably working to shut off power. Firefighters are trained for these situations.
People love endangering their lives, what would have happened there if a power line melted and fell to the ground live on top of some of them? Then they'll blame the electric company huh? Smh yes electricity is awe inspiring but deadly as well
1:00 transformer: GOD DAMNIT IM GIVIN YOU GUYZ ELECTRIC AND THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT ME???? BAM! ZAP!
Yaay thanks firefighters for saving these brilliant people standing directly beneath the lines while the treated wooden pole was clearly burning.. 😄 Yaaay let's film our potential death!
the recloser on the line did it's job sensing the fault and locking out after 3 times cutting the power.
Spraying water on electricity huh? Yeah good idea smh
Oh my, my, everybody staring at the arclight under the power lines...
HOLY SH** WTF were they thinking!
Let’s stand under the power lines.
tripped a recloser on the line cutting the power
apparently no one there has ever seen anything like this, since EVERYONE had their damn phone out and was recording it. LOL Is there NEVER any excitement around your neighborhood?
That is crazy putting water on electric 🎃
Wouldn’t the conductive water cause a path to ground?
3:50 They pissed it off.
lol it does look like it!
You would NOT catch me anywhere near that.
Same here. I'd be running away from that whole area, just as fast as I could. I know what that kind of power can do to people and property. These people here are idiots for taking that much risk unnecessarily.
Never throw water into the mains line, they could have received an electrical discharge!
Those Firemen were incredibly stupid.
Stupid water on electric fire !!!
i thought making a stream of water go to power lines from yourself would zap you t
I don't understand how spraying it with water stopped the arcing. My intuition says it shouldn't make any difference at all... Did they cut the power while they were spraying it?
🔥🔥 ⚡⚡😮😮
All of those people were stupid enough to stand directly underneath energized power lines that could have easily fell on them. The pole could have burned on through, making the lines fall. They also don't understand step potential.
very dengerous electricity fire
2021 sept. Thought you didn’t put water on an electrical fire?
It sounds like my aunt's lawnmower.
Sounds like my Aunt on the toilet.
new friend sir from philipine
I thought you couldn't shoot water at an electrical fire.
And everyone keeps standing under the wires......
Sounds like angry wasp
Screw that if I were a fireman putting that out dangerous as hell I don't think they were suposed to do that
Vertical Video Syndrome strikes again
Smart firefighter spraying water...
I hope they are not using water
Excellent. 💙 T.E.N.
बिजली विभाग ने अगले मुकाबलों में नमक मिला लो ⛽😎
Spraying water on it is really bad like what if it travels through it and at him? I’m surprised it put it out and didn’t make it worse. They didn’t even wait for the electric company to shut off the power which is what they’re supposed to do before putting out the fire.
That thing is going nuts
"WhY isn't The fire Going Out?!?!?"
Because it was a high voltage ( probably between 7200 to 25000 volts ) electrical fire. It won't stop until power is shut off at breakers or the electrical substation.
amazing
That must have been distilled water the firefighter was using on the pole fire.
distilled water from an attack line? nah. no way, no how. the only distilled water youll see a firefighter use is an extinguisher, its blue and white, seen in most school computer labs
Se supone que el bombero puede hacer un arco eléctrico no debió exponerse con esa agua
Why power supply not turn off
😊 one should not under any circumstances, chuck water on an electrical fire. Several things are possible in the event electricity makes contact with water.
1. Its similar in effect to chucking water onto hot oil, it can cause the fat to explode and soread the fire to surrounding area.
2. Electricity can be conducted by the addition of water. This can cause a surge of power at ground level and harm people who might be standing in the wrong place at the time. This would be similar to being struck like lightning especially in wet conditions as yhe bolt hits at ground level.
Why wasn't the electric,/utility company called to deal with this type of power surge?
They surely would have been able to isolate the power and stop the ignition process that was helping to spark the flames and keep the fire burning.
Also there was the risk that the power lines could have collapsed to ground, thereby adding further risk to onlookers and to the firemen attemptimg to msnage the fire in the girst instance. I find it hard to believe that the firebrigade do not have an alternative means to smother the flames other than water. Clearly extremely risky business and I am glad to see that no-one suffered loss that day. 😊 😱😫🥴🏴🇬🇧😠
Das us Stromnetz ist so bescheiden wundert mich das nicht mehr passiert
Pull up a chair atleast 300 feet away & crack open a beer & watch
an ok video, but i hope some day you will learn to turn your phone sideways..
Some fools will never learn, you are taking videos under high voltage lines without knowing the consequences
If I was there when it happened, I would be running like hell, just to get as far away as I could, and as fast as I could. I'm deadly afraid of electricity, especially high voltage with high amperage.
What the type of media fire ezthinguisher used to eleminate the electrical fire ..
I'd be using foam if I are u
seria mais fácil se desligarem a corrente elétrica!
all done your chanel
and so Why In The Actual FUCK we're the firefighters of all ppl putting Water on an electrical fire WHY
craziest video ive ever seen.
Tendria que cortar la electridad primero y en caso de insendio con electricidad no usar agua
Are they going to use water? 😊
Nunca vi tanta estupidez. Lanzar agua a las líneas de alta tensión. Puso en peligro su vida.
Is this real
dont think the TX is on fire, just a short to ground causing a ruckus.
Pour water over E -fire!!!
I see this before
Poland Electric Poles is better.
Is this in Cincinnati Ohio?
用水，滅電器設備之火警，乃不智之舉！
Thanks
US kwality !!!
Bzzzzzzzzzzssssszzzzzzt!
i sa lute bombero for stop fire
That looks more like a CT bank.
Either way, fire fighters should be hit with a ball bat. That was basic stupid.
電還未切就噴水
消防人員沒基本電學常識嗎？
งงมาก ไม่เคยเห็นใครเอาน้ำมาดบกระแสไฟฟ้า
ใช้น้ำดับไฟฟ้าได้หรอก
Ok
Es mucho peor con agua
Loves ..travail il d'eau ..coupé le ..courent
That's it officer, guide everyone along under the wires just in case the pose snaps, don't want those wires landing on the road now, do we?
@munkyboy85 pure water doesn't conduct electricity, there's a video on RUclips of guys washing insulators in a live substation! Wouldn't expect the fire dept to have a tankerful of pure water though, so yes that guy would be asking for trouble!
Immediate thumbs down for portrait orientation. It's my policy. #verticalvideosyndrome
You can't put water on an electrical fire