# Traffic warning for South Minneapolis: Watch out for giant fireballs. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 17, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-warning-for-south-minneapolis-watch-out-for-giant-fireballs/575023 "2011-03-17T14:33:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-warning-for-south-minneapolis-watch-out-for-giant-fireballs/575023/1 "2011-03-17T14:33:09Z")
There’s a massive fire going on in South Minny from a gas line rupture. It’s at 60th and Nicolet by the Cub Food there. They’re evacuationg Richfield. They’re saying that manhole covers are getting blown into the air. Glad I’m on the east side of the river. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-warning-for-south-minneapolis-watch-out-for-giant-fireballs/575023/2 "2011-03-17T14:40:06Z")
Photos, video, story [here](http://www.startribune.com/local/118164804.html). And won’t someone think of [the children](http://www.startribune.com/photos/?c=y&img=Blaze2.jpg)?! ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-warning-for-south-minneapolis-watch-out-for-giant-fireballs/575023/3 "2011-03-17T14:45:02Z")
Man, the most excitement we ever get here in Columbus is when there’s a really big pothole. (Well, or when we get a freeway sniper, but that was just the one time! Honestly!) Seriously, though: > [@](#): > > Motorists also said they could feel the heat from the fire as they drove by on the Crosstown. That’s jacked up. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-warning-for-south-minneapolis-watch-out-for-giant-fireballs/575023/4 "2011-03-17T14:57:11Z")
Looks like the plume is starting to die down. Lots of white smoke, but the flame is smaller. You can see the hole in the pavement where the gas line blew. It looks like they must have shut down the valve that was feeding it and are just waiting for it to burn out the rest of whatever gas is still left in the ruptured section of line. Excitement is starting to ebb. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-warning-for-south-minneapolis-watch-out-for-giant-fireballs/575023/5 "2011-03-17T15:56:19Z")
Wow. I hadn’t heard about it until just now, but I’d been wondering why 62 was blocked by police just west of the 77 interchange. AND I was wondering why everyone that got booted off 62 was heading north instead of going down to 494. Now I know. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-warning-for-south-minneapolis-watch-out-for-giant-fireballs/575023/6 "2011-03-17T16:01:49Z")
Just finally flipped from Channel 5 who has been running it since 9am. Nasty stuff. Now they’re worrying about the bridge it occurred by, as it burned also. Huge scorch marks across the road. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-warning-for-south-minneapolis-watch-out-for-giant-fireballs/575023/7 "2011-03-17T16:17:53Z")
Apparently all my coworkers were watching the fireball while I was stuck in a meeting. I miss all the interesting stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-warning-for-south-minneapolis-watch-out-for-giant-fireballs/575023/8 "2011-03-17T16:32:11Z")
> [@Beadalin](#): > > Apparently all my coworkers were watching the fireball while I was stuck in a meeting. I miss all the interesting stuff. Oh man. On September 11, 2001, my boss at the time made us all go back to our desks and work. Eventually I looked up to find that everyone else in the company was watching TV and seeing the towers fall, and I was the only sucker missing it, boss included. Then later the news declared a moratorium on “replaying the horrible images everyone has seen so many times already” and I had to wait for documentaries and anniversary specials to actually see a lot of the famous footage.