Bug bomb causes devastating explosion ("Here hold muh beer" alert!)

KTRK/Houston - ABC13 ^ | 7.23.02

[mhking]

Bug bomb causes devastating explosion

Failure to follow directions blamed for blast

By The Associated Press
(7/23/02 - BROWNSVILLE, Texas) — An insect fogger _ and the failure to follow directions on the container _ has been blamed for an explosion that rocked the residence of a Brownsville couple.

Mariano Gonzales, 67, and his wife, Sara, 65, barely made it through their kitchen door before an explosion Sunday night shattered windows in three rooms, demolished kitchen cabinets and moved the kitchen sink eight inches from the wall.

"In the back part of the house where the kitchen is at, the roof caved in, and it knocked out three of the doors. It's really bad," the couple's son, Oscar Gonzalez, said in a story in Tuesday's editions of The Brownsville Herald.

Mariano Gonzales said he put an insect fogger under his kitchen sink Sunday night to fumigate the cockroach-ridden cabinets.

Fire inspector Frank Seals said the accident happened because the couple "didn't follow proper safety procedures."

The labels on the side of the pesticide warned against placing the aerosol can in small places, including cabinets, and instructed users to turn off all gas pilots and appliances that turn off and on automatically in cycles.

Gonzales said he forgot to turn off his gas stove's pilot.

"All brands of the foggers have warning labels, and people should read them and follow them," Seals said.

[El Gato]

I think he got rid of all the bugs though...I think.

Probably not. Las cucarachas (the cockroaches) will probably survive nuclear armegeddon.

[wattsmag2]

I predict a run on these products by swarthy middle eastern types. A poor mans plastique.

[El Gato]

The warnings were in English. That't obviously the problem

How do you know? They might have been in both English and Spanish. Or the Gonzales family may have been in Texas for centuries and can only read English, or maybe he can't read at all, in either language.

[b4its2late]

The bugs are getting revenge for all those "RAID" commercials.....

[El Gato]

Wonder if 'ol Mariano can read English.... Or any language for that matter. Many products, especially in South Texas, and you can't get any farther south than Brownsville, are dual labeled. That of course does no good if one can't read either English or Spanish.

[in the Arena]

Nothing like setting off a fuel air explosive in your house...I remember an event a few years back where a lady set off several bug bombs at once with the net result of knocking her house off it's wheels...

[TEXASPROUD]

I think in this case you should have made the alert.
Sostenga mi cerveza y mire este.

[Fzob]

The only thing that separates a civil court room from a Las Vegas Casino is the free drinks.

True, but I bet the odds of winning is far better in court.

[Mudboy Slim]

"The only thing that separates a civil court room from a Las Vegas Casino is the free drinks."

LOL...I do a lot of work in some Richmond areas where much of the Great Society money has gone fer the last 35 years, and talked to folks there who believe the only two ways to become wealthy are to win the lottery or "sue somebody fer something." In essence, Lib'ralism has sapped them of their belief in their own ability to improve their lot in life.

FReegards...MUD

[ppaul]

...the bugs are probably still there.

LOL!

[IncPen]

On the serious side, I use a dry mixture of 1 part flour, 1 part sugar and one part borax, placed in a bottle cap or similar sized holder wherever I see an ant in our house. The flour and sugar attract different kinds of ants, so you're sure to 'get them' either way. They carry it back to the nest, and voila! Plus it's generally safe around kids and pets. It works really, really well; we haven't had ants in years.

I'm told borax is the only thing that kills cockroaches too: it gives them gas, and since they can't expel it they 'pop'. I'd imagine the same recipe would be effective on them.

[Squawk 8888]

borax is the only thing that kills cockroaches too: it gives them gas, and since they can't expel it they 'pop'

Dang, all I ever did was put firecrackers in anthills. You guys have all the fun.

[G.Mason]

Fer For cryin out lowd loud!

Don't youse you people know that there may be Mooselim's Islam's reading these hear here reports and begin excorsizing exercizing terrorizing these here United States with these potentate potential weapons of mass deestrucshun destruction?

Remember, fat loose lips sink sheeps ships!

[Steve0113]

Too funny!

[Squantos]

Apueste que usted un dólar las instrucciones no estaba en escrito en español.

Permanezca Seguro !!

[Khepera]

"cockroaches have been around unchanged for millions of years"

The world itself is only 6000 years old so your statement is in error. Don't believe everything you hear in school.

[ReaganIsRight]

Read the reply from Khepera -- what rock did this clown crawl out from under? Sounds like we've got another crazy on board.

[pulaskibush]

We must now have saftey instructions in Spanish, Portugesue, French, Chinese, Japanese, German, Sandscript, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Cantonese, Bantu, Galec, Hebrew, and of course Klingon.

[dennisw]

Was the warning label in Spanish too?????

[mhking]

The sole instruction in Klingon from the back of the Raid can:

Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam.

(Roughly translated as: "Today is a good day to die...")