http://mobile.oregonlive.com/advorg/pm_32330/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=06Ymkdza
Tofu explosion caused by sudden dousing of grease fire with waterStuart Tomlinson, The Oregonian 11/30/2011 2:28 PM
The Amazing Exploding Tofu Mystery has been solved, Portland fire officials say, with a little help from YouTube and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco (or is it Tofu?) Firearms and Explosives.
Paul Corah, a spokesman for the Portland Fire Bureau, said investigators were baffled at first when a woman cooking tofu in her Northwest Portland apartment Sunday night caused an explosion that blew out a 4-by-6 foot picture window and caused an estimated $15,000 in damage. The woman suffered a small burn to her hand but was otherwise unhurt.
After consultation with other investigators up and down the West Coast, Corah said, it appears grease in a pan used to cook the tofu overheated and caught fire. When the woman put the fiery pan in the sink to douse it, the water caused “a sudden and extreme flare-up of flaming oil” and a “massive steam production.”l
The sudden increase in air pressure in the studio apartment at 314 NW Fifth Avenue blew out the window and activated the apartment’s sprinkler head.
In truth, Corah said, the window had not been installed properly, making it easier for the sudden increase in pressure to push it out. But still…
Investigators put out feelers to other agencies in an attempt to solve the mystery, and since an explosion was involved, they contacted the ATF.
“It is a rare event, but similar incidents have been observed in other cities,” Corah said.
The event also caught the eye of officials with the U.S. Fire Administration in Maryland, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which plans to try and re-create the event in one of its labs, Corah said. Researchers at the University of Kentucky will also attempt to recreate the explosion.
Tofu explosion caused by sudden dousing of grease fire with waterStuart Tomlinson, The Oregonian 11/30/2011 2:28 PM
The Amazing Exploding Tofu Mystery has been solved, Portland fire officials say, with a little help from YouTube and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco (or is it Tofu?) Firearms and Explosives.
Paul Corah, a spokesman for the Portland Fire Bureau, said investigators were baffled at first when a woman cooking tofu in her Northwest Portland apartment Sunday night caused an explosion that blew out a 4-by-6 foot picture window and caused an estimated $15,000 in damage. The woman suffered a small burn to her hand but was otherwise unhurt.
After consultation with other investigators up and down the West Coast, Corah said, it appears grease in a pan used to cook the tofu overheated and caught fire. When the woman put the fiery pan in the sink to douse it, the water caused “a sudden and extreme flare-up of flaming oil” and a “massive steam production.”l
The sudden increase in air pressure in the studio apartment at 314 NW Fifth Avenue blew out the window and activated the apartment’s sprinkler head.
In truth, Corah said, the window had not been installed properly, making it easier for the sudden increase in pressure to push it out. But still…
Investigators put out feelers to other agencies in an attempt to solve the mystery, and since an explosion was involved, they contacted the ATF.
“It is a rare event, but similar incidents have been observed in other cities,” Corah said.
The event also caught the eye of officials with the U.S. Fire Administration in Maryland, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which plans to try and re-create the event in one of its labs, Corah said. Researchers at the University of Kentucky will also attempt to recreate the explosion.
