Yellow Smoke Billows From Bowels of Downtown Dallas

Posted on May 9th, 2011 12:24pm by Tim Rogers
Filed under Local News

From our window, we can see yellow smoke billowing from a manhole at Ross and Pearl. Jason Heid took this picture and reports: “Cop here doesn’t know what it is. City workers, Oncor workers, police, fire on scene.” The Dallas Fire-Rescue website that lists active calls says just “HAZARDOUS MATERIALS.” I’m no chemist, but yellow means sulfur. So, um, downtown is farting? Gross.

UPDATE: From Dallas Fire-Rescue:

The yellow/green smoke is coming from a blown switch in an underground transformer. The color of the smoke is most likely due to burning copper. The fire is out and TXU (or whoever the utility company responsible is) is on location and we are on stand-by.

smoke

19 comments

  1. Yellow gas from a manhole at lunch is never a good thing.

    @ 12:38 pm on May 9, 2011

  2. From Wiki: “When burned, sulfur melts to a blood-red liquid and emits a blue flame which is best observed in the dark.”

    You had me at bloody blue flame.

    @ 12:53 pm on May 9, 2011

  3. I think that’s the bowels of hell, welcoming someone.

    @ 1:02 pm on May 9, 2011

  4. Who said it was burning? But, yes, we should wait till nightfall before we attempt to light downtown’s fart. That goes without saying.

    @ 1:06 pm on May 9, 2011

  5. Its where the lakers bandwagon fans are burning their lakers gear

    @ 1:07 pm on May 9, 2011

  6. Probably a transformer fire. They short out, burn, smoke, whatever.

    @ 1:09 pm on May 9, 2011

  7. No, Bill, it’s a fart.

    @ 1:14 pm on May 9, 2011

  8. Dallas farts in your general direction!

    @ 1:21 pm on May 9, 2011

  9. Why is no other news agency reporting on this so that we can get further details?

    @ 1:23 pm on May 9, 2011

  10. Memo from Hines Management to tenants at Chase Tower just says “a gas leak has been detected” at Ross and Pearl. What kind of gas?

    @ 1:29 pm on May 9, 2011

  11. No gas. Just smoke from an electrical fire. Early reports from DFD said gas leaking from man hole.

    @ 1:43 pm on May 9, 2011

  12. Am I the only one here who giggles hysterically whenever she reads or hears the word “manhole?”

    @ 1:49 pm on May 9, 2011

  13. Must have had the same thing I had for lunch

    @ 2:11 pm on May 9, 2011

  14. Sorry, Bill, the update confirms that you are right and I am wrong. It’s not a fart afterall :(

    @ 2:17 pm on May 9, 2011

  15. I also apologize for suggesting it was a sulfurous fart. It turned out to be a coppery belch.

    @ 2:50 pm on May 9, 2011

  16. Basher says we’re in Barney.

    @ 2:55 pm on May 9, 2011

  17. Barney?

    @ 3:07 pm on May 9, 2011

  18. Barney Rubble. TROUBLE!

    @ 3:16 pm on May 9, 2011

  19. And … scene.

    @ 3:19 pm on May 9, 2011

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