News of the weird on Mariposa

Pub date July 28, 2010
WriterRebecca Bowe
SectionPolitics Blog

This morning, we spotted a giant pile of fire extinguishers blocking a traffic lane on Mariposa Street near the off-ramp of North 280, around the corner from the Guardian office.

The brand-new cherry red canisters had spilled out of a couple boxes and rolled across the distance of the entire street, and motorists exiting the highway appeared to be having a tough time maneuvering around the mess of valuable merchandise. It seemed to be a case of unsecured cargo slipping out the back of a truck.

What’s truly bizarre about this mess-up was that it happened only a few yards away from the scene of a freak accident that occurred last month. On June 14, a taxi cab that was experiencing brake problems exited the highway only to collide with a bridge pillar and erupt into a fiery blaze. A couple vacationing from Ohio was killed in the tragic wreck.

Minutes after snapping photos of the fire extinguisher pile, we saw city vehicles arrive and begin to clear the roadway.