Yeah, fire is pretty much the worst thing that can happen underground. Even a gas explosion is kinda limited in its effect. There may be collapses of some tunnels, there may be shockwave damage to neighboring parts of the complex…but still, it’ll be limited, contained, controllable.
A major fire means certain death for everybody who can’t make it to the surface.
I’m still confused about what’s burning. Most of the scenes I have of the colony involve stone work. Its possible that our malevolent spirit has set fire to the apartment buildings (which may have combustible materials) or the kitchen. Maybe this smoke is just from setting the few combustible structures on fire. If the ventilation system isn’t effective, the smoke could kill everybody.
I still wonder how Jim got out of the tunnels….if it is in fact Jim that is doing all this. At any rate some one snapped. It will be interesting to see if the colony panics or actually has a ‘plan’!!
Heating system. If you are underground there is going to be a stable ambient temperature ( about 55 degrees here in Va), and that will stay there year around ( unless you dig really deep like the diamond mines in Africa). So the lizards will need to bring the temp up a little, plus heat water for the laundry, plus what ever they need for the cooking. They seem inclined to use very basic tech ( except for what they “acquire” thru other means) and not much on keeping their engineering up. So I wonder what they burn for fuel?
There are a lot of oxygen breathers concentrated in one spot, and there are usually strict limits on the number of people that can be legally allowed into one place for concerns over fires and other emergencies.
Another reason is panic. How did they mount the hinges on their doors?
As for things that could be burning in a cave: They use electric lighting where they aren’t using torches for dramatic effect. That means wiring and insulation. There’s been quite a number of extremely gruesome high-bodycount disasters caused by that kind of fire and that doesn’t even take the special problems you get from being underground into account.
One thing that many people would find surprising about tunnel fires is that they can make things burn that you’d never expect to be flammable. Tunnel fires get hot. Steel-meltingly so.
What is and isn’t flammable can be up do debate becuase remember, they have their “civilization” built into the formations evidently caused by the result of being on the outer edge of an area destroyed by zero weapons. The material may be semi-porous, causing it to be fairly easy to excavate. That would enable them to dig into the hills causing the first caves, and then cutting the material to into blocks for a more “formal” appearance. A side effect of the matrial might be flammability, unfortuantely.Now for a satellite designed to track heat signatures of individual mutants, a fire would certainly get a reaction from it.Cue the Topsiders.
Actually Mr. Sherman is making a lot of sense. “Endtown” is set in a wasteland after a World War involving zero weapons (guns and missiles that turn organic substances to a fine white powder). Most of what we’ve seen in the few years that Aaron has been drawing the strip is a desert of fine white powder which was created after zero bombs hit the city state of Hillside. The lizard comunity is located in mountain ranges of compressed dust that are at the edge of the blast radius. I assumed that the colony was dug out and stone blocks were brought in and masoned in to support the dirt. Mr. Sherman is suggesting that the colonists just dug and cut their way into a mountain and down into the compressed dust on the ground. The “bricks” could either be created of the compressed dust and cut to shape, or they could not be bricks at all. Either way, it is possible that the white powder, being formerly organic and mostly hydrocarbons, is flammable. That would suggest that the colony of reptilitopia, and our favorite cat and mouse are in a world of danger.Yeah, I’m an “Endtown” fan-atic.
What Me Worried and Mr Sherman- Well, actually, there are so many unanswered questions about the basics that who knows what can really happen. That being said, Mr Sherman’s spectulations are no better founded than mine that Zero Weapon bi-products would be particularly nonflammable. (“zero weapons” are disintegrator effect devices, leaving only dust or, maybe, the odd landscape the Lizard town is hidden in) On a more practical level, in a sealed cavern like structure, any minor flammables would have a disproportionate heating and smoking effect, so it would not take all that much content to have a serious impactYou would not need to have the whole thing flammable.
Darwinskeeper- While our Fearless Leader has not let us in on the details of his world (suspect that he didn’t intend for the over-scrutiny, more of a hold on and go for the ride) the character of the dust, especially dusted organics, is that it is hydrogen and carbon which is specifically missing. Overall, the implications so far is that trans-dimensional effects are involved, along with selective atomic element stripping.
I got to wondering again—-y’know, I don’t think I’ve seen any of the lizards with anything to smoke. It’s easy to enforce a “no smoking” regimen when there’s nothing to smoke. What could they light up? Eggs?
DADOF3 over 9 years ago
Time to go back the way they came in the first place.
Space_cat over 9 years ago
Looks like that policy is being violated, Who would ever think a cave would burn? A coal mine perhaps?
Robert Nowall Premium Member over 9 years ago
Ask Mr. Ditto…he seems to know something about where to go and where not to go…
salenstormwing over 9 years ago
Lizard superiority at it’s finest. Next week, meet the community of mutant dinosaurs who don’t have an anti-meteor defense force.
MattStriker over 9 years ago
Yeah, fire is pretty much the worst thing that can happen underground. Even a gas explosion is kinda limited in its effect. There may be collapses of some tunnels, there may be shockwave damage to neighboring parts of the complex…but still, it’ll be limited, contained, controllable.
A major fire means certain death for everybody who can’t make it to the surface.
So no proper fire protection => Extinction..
Melkior over 9 years ago
Death approaches, with big, hot, nasty flames.
Ida No over 9 years ago
Somebody report the fire!It’s violating the no smoking policy!What if someone stood up in a crowded boxing theater and shouted “hockey game”!
crookedwolf Premium Member over 9 years ago
Looks like some kind of critter chewed on the wiring..
Darwinskeeper over 9 years ago
I’m still confused about what’s burning. Most of the scenes I have of the colony involve stone work. Its possible that our malevolent spirit has set fire to the apartment buildings (which may have combustible materials) or the kitchen. Maybe this smoke is just from setting the few combustible structures on fire. If the ventilation system isn’t effective, the smoke could kill everybody.
cindyorch over 9 years ago
I still wonder how Jim got out of the tunnels….if it is in fact Jim that is doing all this. At any rate some one snapped. It will be interesting to see if the colony panics or actually has a ‘plan’!!
cindyorch over 9 years ago
and she still has Holly’s apron over her shoulder………
CrazyOldCoot over 9 years ago
Heating system. If you are underground there is going to be a stable ambient temperature ( about 55 degrees here in Va), and that will stay there year around ( unless you dig really deep like the diamond mines in Africa). So the lizards will need to bring the temp up a little, plus heat water for the laundry, plus what ever they need for the cooking. They seem inclined to use very basic tech ( except for what they “acquire” thru other means) and not much on keeping their engineering up. So I wonder what they burn for fuel?
scyphi26 over 9 years ago
…well…all that talk about being the best civilization since the Romans, and then they go and do a stupid thing like that.
notus over 9 years ago
they focused so much resources on preventing the birth of non reptilians they forgot to leave something to defend agaisnt fires
notus over 9 years ago
they focused so much resources on preventing the birth of non reptilians they forgot to leave something to defend agaisnt fires
RockHouse over 9 years ago
There are a lot of oxygen breathers concentrated in one spot, and there are usually strict limits on the number of people that can be legally allowed into one place for concerns over fires and other emergencies.
Another reason is panic. How did they mount the hinges on their doors?
Remember the Cocoanut Grove fire.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoanut_Grove_fire
MattStriker over 9 years ago
As for things that could be burning in a cave: They use electric lighting where they aren’t using torches for dramatic effect. That means wiring and insulation. There’s been quite a number of extremely gruesome high-bodycount disasters caused by that kind of fire and that doesn’t even take the special problems you get from being underground into account.
One thing that many people would find surprising about tunnel fires is that they can make things burn that you’d never expect to be flammable. Tunnel fires get hot. Steel-meltingly so.
Dragoncat over 9 years ago
“No Smoking Policy”, eh? Well, it’s safe to say that someone is in serious trouble.…Besides them, of course…
Dragoncat over 9 years ago
Well, this could explain what happened to that missing torch.…See March 2nd, Panel One.
Dragoncat over 9 years ago
Um…, Guys? The laundry chute? Remember that?
craigwestlake over 9 years ago
Looks like Jim is the new Fire Marshall…
mr_sherman Premium Member over 9 years ago
What is and isn’t flammable can be up do debate becuase remember, they have their “civilization” built into the formations evidently caused by the result of being on the outer edge of an area destroyed by zero weapons. The material may be semi-porous, causing it to be fairly easy to excavate. That would enable them to dig into the hills causing the first caves, and then cutting the material to into blocks for a more “formal” appearance. A side effect of the matrial might be flammability, unfortuantely.Now for a satellite designed to track heat signatures of individual mutants, a fire would certainly get a reaction from it.Cue the Topsiders.
mr_sherman Premium Member over 9 years ago
Kirbee saying “Well, DUH!”
What can I say to that?
Shazzaron over 9 years ago
GEE sure would be a nice time for Marx to show up unexpectedly and spirit them away suddenly…
Darwinskeeper over 9 years ago
Actually Mr. Sherman is making a lot of sense. “Endtown” is set in a wasteland after a World War involving zero weapons (guns and missiles that turn organic substances to a fine white powder). Most of what we’ve seen in the few years that Aaron has been drawing the strip is a desert of fine white powder which was created after zero bombs hit the city state of Hillside. The lizard comunity is located in mountain ranges of compressed dust that are at the edge of the blast radius. I assumed that the colony was dug out and stone blocks were brought in and masoned in to support the dirt. Mr. Sherman is suggesting that the colonists just dug and cut their way into a mountain and down into the compressed dust on the ground. The “bricks” could either be created of the compressed dust and cut to shape, or they could not be bricks at all. Either way, it is possible that the white powder, being formerly organic and mostly hydrocarbons, is flammable. That would suggest that the colony of reptilitopia, and our favorite cat and mouse are in a world of danger.Yeah, I’m an “Endtown” fan-atic.
stevegallacci over 9 years ago
What Me Worried and Mr Sherman- Well, actually, there are so many unanswered questions about the basics that who knows what can really happen. That being said, Mr Sherman’s spectulations are no better founded than mine that Zero Weapon bi-products would be particularly nonflammable. (“zero weapons” are disintegrator effect devices, leaving only dust or, maybe, the odd landscape the Lizard town is hidden in) On a more practical level, in a sealed cavern like structure, any minor flammables would have a disproportionate heating and smoking effect, so it would not take all that much content to have a serious impactYou would not need to have the whole thing flammable.
stevegallacci over 9 years ago
Darwinskeeper- While our Fearless Leader has not let us in on the details of his world (suspect that he didn’t intend for the over-scrutiny, more of a hold on and go for the ride) the character of the dust, especially dusted organics, is that it is hydrogen and carbon which is specifically missing. Overall, the implications so far is that trans-dimensional effects are involved, along with selective atomic element stripping.
Space_cat over 9 years ago
I saw more stone than masonry than combustibles. I have no need to look up Centralia, having grown up not far from there.
Robert Nowall Premium Member over 9 years ago
I got to wondering again—-y’know, I don’t think I’ve seen any of the lizards with anything to smoke. It’s easy to enforce a “no smoking” regimen when there’s nothing to smoke. What could they light up? Eggs?
TheSkulker over 9 years ago
“mr.sherman Sorry I am not an Entown fan-atic so I do not know…”
Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed or something???That was totally uncalled for and inappropriate!
mr_sherman Premium Member over 9 years ago
It looks like “What-Me Worry?” got flamed (thrown of the comments section). kind of ironic for this strip I’d say.
Jenner Premium Member over 9 years ago
What is Kirbee wearing on her right shoulder?