NYC Woman Sets Off Bug Bombs, Blows Up Building

Apparently, one should shut off pilot lights before setting off 2 dozen
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 13, 2013 11:28 AM CDT
NYC Woman Sets Off Bug Bombs, Blows Up Building
Firefighters remove debris from the back of a building in the aftermath of a fire on Thursday, July 11, 2013 in New York City's Chinatown.   (Bebeto Matthews)

You're actually supposed to try this at home, but apparently it's not for everyone: A New York City woman apparently battling a heck of an infestation in her hair salon set off 20 bug foggers in the Chinatown building last week, which was great. A day later she set off a few dozen more, only this time the AP reports that she forgot to shut off a pilot light, which resulted in an explosion of flammable fumes that blew the windows out in three floors and injured a dozen people. Which was not so great. “I got out and there were these huge flames behind me," one resident of the building tells the New York Daily News.

Apparently, this happens more than one would think, to the tune of about 500 such incidents a year. The EPA has even updated warning labels that caution against using more than one fogger per room, and to shut off all pilot lights and electric appliances. This particular incident is being considered an accident. (More infestation stories.)

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