When I was about 19 I moved to California to work construction building tract homes. I was on the dirt crew running scraper when an excavator hit a gas line- super scary! We had a drama queen on the crew who was in the National Guard and had all the strobe lights, camo gear, night vision goggles, pager, scanner, concealed gun, mace , volunteer plates on his truck and everything he could legally have to roar around and draw attention to himself at any opportunity. Well, this was a made for TV moment for ol Tim, we were working next to a retirement home community and he started running door to door yelling evacuate-evacuate!! run for your life go-go-go!! Meanwhile one of our crusty old foremans who'd probably hit a dozen or so of the things, jumps into the trench and wrestles this hissing thing down, doubles it over backwards and ties it off with a ratchet strap. When our attention finally turned from the gas line we looked over at the chaos across the street, about a hundred seniors, some dressed, some dragging oxygen carts, some running with walkers, racing wheelchairs etc. All of them freaked and the drama-queen still screaming evac orders. Crazy day, crazy state, I didn't stay long.
. Turns dirt to glass in a few minutes....
