A utility worker in Venezuela has drawn attention online after using two-liter bottles of Glup soda to tackle a burning electrical transformer. The incident took place on November 2 in Valle de la Pascua, according to the recovered report, which said the worker was employed by state-owned electricity company Corpoelec.
Footage shows the worker standing in the raised bucket of a maintenance truck, shaking the bottles and throwing them toward the transformer. He ducks as flames flare in his direction, then repeats the action twice more. The fire appears to die down afterward.
Carbonated drinks contain carbon dioxide, which can help suppress flames by displacing oxygen, while the liquid may also cool equipment. But electrical engineer Jesús Olivares told Venezuelan outlet El Pitazo that soda is not a safe substitute for a specialized extinguisher. He warned that the liquid could conduct electricity and cause a fatal shock, and that the flames posed a serious burn risk.
Olivares also questioned the apparent lack of essential protective equipment. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and there has been no confirmation of whether anyone was injured.
Sources: Dexerto.