Jamie Morelock from Toledo (OH) sent in these follow up pictures to accompany our most recent post titled “This is Why.†Toledo has over 15,000 vacant residential structures in the city, and averages two working fires in vacants every day. On this particular structure the gas is disconnected, the electrical drop cut, and the meter has been pulled. (See even I can get that into a post every now and then…Jimm)
Despite all of the utilities being disconnected the window mount AC units were running when these photos were taken. No generator was present, so some sort of illegal power tap operation was more than likely being utilized. Ironically they had a previous fire in the rear of this structure. Structures like this are going to become more and more common due to the current economic situation. When returning from a run, take a different route (or the long way) back to the firehouse, this will ensure that you stay dialed in to what’s happening in your first due area,
3 thoughts on “Another Reason”
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This is not uncommon in our area. I have seen several ways a meter pan has been jumped, then recovered. The most common is a metal rod or flat bar inserted in the socket. Once I even saw a 50 amp fuse placed on each leg. Then there are the taps that run from a neighboring structure. They can be as clever as to bury the jumper wire under the grass.
Like all other hazards never assume the meter is off.
We had a mobile home a year or so ago illegally tap into his neighbors power so he wouldn’t have to pay for it. Somehow the entire frame of the mobile became electrically charged and eventually started a fire under the floor which is what we responded to. Odly enough the first in engine officer slowed the response due to nothing showing from the street. On further inspection flames were clearly visible from the outside burning under the building. I’m unsure when and where the power was shut off to the building but it was off upon my arrival on the Truck.
The story goes that a guy in NC had jumped the meter box so many times that eventually, the shut down the drop line from the pole. The guy was killed when he climbed the pole and attempted to use jumper cables to hotwire the drop. Oh well. I guess that is on par with the dude that used surgical tubing to jump his gas meter.
I have seen quite a few daisy chained domeciles. My record is 4 single family dwelling running off 1 meter. I am guessing these folks had 3-400 feet of extension cord laid out to do it. I have no idea how they split the bill as they were all in on it, apparently. We responded to the area when they decided to remodel all four residences and burned the old contents of the homes in a big pile between the structures. Nice.