What was burning in Downtown Houston

[jparsley]

Driving to the Astro's game today, and saw something burning in downtown Houston. Never heard what was on fire.

[KenJulio]

The ktrk camera man said lightning struck a transforer, I believe it was off of LaBranch. I drove by and parked and got a few, but I only had a 20-35 on me at the time.

[kenw]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6566338.html

[photonewb]

I was actually on my way down to do some more scouting and preliminary photos of the "Graffiti wall" off of Elgin and Crawford. This was literally less than a block away. By the time I got near the building there were HPD officers blocking off the roads and directing traffic elsewhere and I couldn't get out of the car. All the street lights in the area were out as far as Fannin/Alabama.

I know the smoke was visible from 45 south for a long ways.

[jparsley]

Thanks for clearing it up. Boy, a transformer sure does somoke. I took the pick above from I-45 on the on-ram to 59 going to the Astro's game. Makes you wonder what is in the darn things. I know back in the day they were full of PCBs and other nasty stuff. I guess today they are much more environmentaly friendly. Must be some kind of oil.

Jay

[kenw]

most large xfmrs are filled with an oil to conduct heat away from the core and into large fins where air currents can carry it away. It is all sealed inside until something like a fire causes it to leak....

[bryanlindsey]

It's our pre-Super-Bowl riot. We'll burn some more stuff after the Texans actually win the Super Bowl this year.

[doctahjones]

funny, we were driving back from galveston to dallas and we saw all that smoke...was wondering what it was.