Some piece of shit managed to burn a large hole in one of our local city park picnic benches.. ☹️ (thelemmy.club)

submitted 4 weeks ago by over_clox@lemmy.world to c/nowhereelsetoshare@sh.itjust.works

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[-] altphoto@lemmy.today 19 points 4 weeks ago

Duck tape the bottom, apply epoxy resin mixed with sand or wood chips. Then sand it flat.

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 12 points 4 weeks ago

Does the park have BBQ pits? I'm just wondering if this was unintentional by someone using one of those cheap, disposable camp stoves that's just a foil pan filled with coals and a grate to grill on.

[+] over_clox@lemmy.world -28 points 4 weeks ago

No, the park doesn't have their own grills. They don't mind people bringing their own grills for parties, as long as people are responsible about it at least.

I wasn't around to see whatever happened, but all the evidence I've seen so far, I feel it was a foolish houseless person..

I really don't know, I didn't see what happened 🤷🤔

[-] notsosure@sh.itjust.works 26 points 4 weeks ago

So you didn’t see what happened, but you feel it was a foolish houseless person… actually, although I wasn’t there, I feel it was… YOU! Yes you, dressed up as a caretaker, with a rubber mask, which I will now (scoobydo!!) pull off. My GOD, it was YOU! I knew it!

[-] OwOarchist@pawb.social 5 points 4 weeks ago

Still, maybe don't be so judgemental about it. It's very plausible that this could be a completely accidental fire.

Someone leaves a water bottle sitting on the bench in the sun, it refracts the sunlight into a point and ignites the wood, and this is how much it burned before somebody noticed and put it out.
Someone's cell phone battery was overheating and puffing up, and they put it down on the bench just to get it out of their pocket, but then it went into full thermal runaway and caught fire, and this is how much wood it burned away before someone managed to knock it down onto the pavement instead (there appear to be scorch marks on the pavement below, which might support this theory).
Someone was hosting some event at the park, and they ran an extension cord across the bench. But then they overloaded the cord and there was a weak joint here that started a brief electrical fire.

[-] over_clox@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks ago

There's not nearly enough sunlight literally under the shaded pavilion for that to happen.
Another commenter pointed out the charcoal dust stain on the pavement to the left, plus there's an almost perfectly circular ring around the burn site, suggesting heat was travelling evenly sideways around a circular object above, such as a pot or a pan.
Nobody runs an extension cord over to that corner of the pavilion, the only plug is on the very opposite corner of where this occurred at.

So, my spidey senses still believe that some idiot placed a rack, a pot or pan, and some coals right on the table to cook some food.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 weeks ago

Right, some idiot.

I know I'm late hêtre but I want to reiterate that baseless Ly concluding it's from someone without a house only further contributes to stigma.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 weeks ago

As a former pre-teen and teenage boy, my mind when to a far more likely culprit.

Houseless people aren't going to be wasting the time and (literal) energy to do this.

[-] Quexotic@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 weeks ago

So, you said there are no grills there. Looks like spilled coal from a portable grill.

Maybe the park needs to be designed better.

[-] yuri@pawb.social 7 points 3 weeks ago

this is the most likely cause, but keep digging in the comments to find out how OP blames the homeless!

[-] Quexotic@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 weeks ago

I saw that. Bad take. "Public stuff damaged? No eye witnesses? Must be the unhoused!"

Takea all kinds, I suppose.

I'm just gonna add, if I don't have tonga to pick up some hot coals, you're not going to see me picking them up with my hands.

[-] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 weeks ago

Probably some kid with a magnifying glass.

[-] over_clox@lemmy.world 4 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Nothing close to that, the table is under a pavilion and basically always shaded, so magnifying glass had nothing to do with this.

I do wonder if it was an act of sheer vandalism, or perhaps a completely ignorant person trying to cook food on the table. 🤔

Yes, the burn spot is about as big as a pot...

Edit: Shit, look at the more distant ring around it. I do think someone was cooking in a pot or pan on that table.

[-] ricecake@sh.itjust.works 10 points 4 weeks ago

Given the giant splotch of charcoal soot on the ground next to the table, my guess would be someone thought their charcoal starter went out, brought it back to the table to investigate and learned that charcoal doesn't look like it's burning when it's at its hotest.

[-] over_clox@lemmy.world 4 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Oh hell, you're right! I didn't even see that part until your comment 👍

Edit: I still think they cooked something right on the table 🤷

[-] Munkisquisher@lemmy.nz 2 points 4 weeks ago

That's just a challenge that requires a couple of big mirrors

[-] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 weeks ago

So...lighting the table on fire and placing a pot on top of it?

[-] over_clox@lemmy.world 0 points 4 weeks ago

That's my best educated guess yeah, probably with a small wire rack over it to support the pot/pan.

I have no idea for sure though 🤷

[-] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 weeks ago

Wood doesn't burn that way. Too much heat dispersion and lack of oxygen to keep it going.

[-] over_clox@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks ago

Wood with charcoal on top will indeed burn like that. Note, as another commenter mentioned, the black charcoal stain to the left on the pavement.

Someone had to have placed charcoal or perhaps just plain sticks or whatever on top of the table to start a fire. Noting the light circular ring around the burn area, that suggests the flame was covered by a circular object, such as a pot or pan, and the heat traveled outwards in a circular manner rather than upwards.

[-] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 weeks ago

With fuel stacked on top, yeah that's possible. I was just referring to the idea that somebody lit the table itself on fire.

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