Home's water heater explodes, hurtles 135 yards

I wasn't sure what the appropriate forum was for this article and decided that something this odd could only go in the lounge:

A water heater that apparently had its pressure valve shut exploded and hurtled 135 yards Thursday morning, causing “catastrophic damage” to the Phoenix home, authorities said.

No injuries were reported, and the house's sole occupant was unharmed.

At about 5:40 a.m., the water heater was blown out of a garage near Thunderbird Road and 38th Street. The damaged home will most likely have to be torn down, authorities said.

It appeared that the homeowner and the man renting the house had been trying to fix the water heater, which may have contributed to the heater being launched across Thunderbird Road and landing near a bus stop, Phoenix Fire Captain Sam Richardson said.

http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2008/08/14/20080814kpnx-waterheater-CP.html

in the last year or two?

Here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmJoyuUJj2Q

That thing went off like a rocket!

my mom has a box of junk next to her gas water heater -- inside the box is several cans of spray paint and other types of aerosol stuff (bug spray or lysol or something). The box is literally less than a foot away from the pilot light on the water heater. Every time I see it I think that it's just an explosion waiting to happen. The weird bit is that she's afraid of leaving the house with the clothes dryer on for fear it will catch fire. I think she's a little demented though because she also has a habit of forgetting she lit candles and also putting food on the gas range and then going outside to putter in the garden totally forgetting that she has left food cooking.

What's Mom growing in that garden, hmmm?

as a reminder if he thinks he might forget to turn off the lawn sprinkler. Maybe your mom could adopt such a tactic to remind her the stove or candles are lit.
Can you convince her to move that box of stuff?

Tip of the day: if something says it is a safety device, it's best not to shut it off or bypass it.

just outside their room. (I hate living in a trailer.)