San Francisco officials seek toilet torcher.

[HAL 9000 96]

SAN FRANCISCO - Construction workers are anxious and investigators are puzzled. Someone has been sending San Francisco's portable toilets up in flames in a wave of potty pyromania."It's an outrage," said Scott Johnson, a 57-year-old contractor who has been working on apartment building renovations on Russian Hill, the elegant neighborhood that is home to famously crooked Lombard Street and has had most of the fires.

Since November, at least 20 of the ubiquitous construction site toilets have been set afire in the city, creating a trail of malodorous wreckage and causing an estimated $50,000 in property damage, according to fire officials.

Most fires set at night

Investigators have little to go on. Most of the fires have been set at night, although one portable potty burst into flames during a recent afternoon.

"Somebody's getting very bold," said Fire Department Lt. Mindy Talmadge. It's not unheard of for vandals to strike the portable restrooms but "this is unusual," she said.

Contractors have been trying to foil the attacks by securing or camouflaging their industrial outhouses. A walk around Russian Hill last week found almost none of the familiar bright blue toilets, save for one lashed to a large metal trash bin and another tucked discreetly behind folds of black material.

Theories vary on who is responsible.

"Kids would be my guess," said Johnson.

Restroom arson claims unitsAlex Rodriguez, president of Concord-based Far West Sanitation & Storage Containers, thinks whoever is doing it is motivated by the thrill of lawlessness, "trying to play catch-and-seek with the police." His company has lost a couple of units to the restroom arson.

The loss of a portable toilet can amount to several hundred dollars.

Plus, there is the unenviable job of cleaning up a disgusting mess, and there is the threat that a fire could spread.

"It kind of worries me and worries everybody that I talk to," Rodriguez said. "These people, I don't think they're criminals, but they are kind of out of their minds to do that."

LINK

Edited February 4, 2009 by HAL 9000

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

"Malodorous wreckage"

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

that makes homage to the quote "hey! your sh!t is on fire"

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

ZQT you are seriously obsessed with Obama aren't you...

Someone else who's gone nutso like Inspector Clouseau's crazy-eyed boss.

[zqt3344 21]

YES WE CAN YES WE CAN YES WE CAN! CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE it all now! For John McCain and the republican party is so evil and unpatriotic they suck so we must CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE now!

ZQT you are seriously obsessed with Obama aren't you...

Someone else who's gone nutso like Inspector Clouseau's crazy-eyed boss.

[HAL 9000 96]

Well now I guess someone here's been to San Francisco lately.

[zqt3344 21]

CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE, YES WE CAN YES WE CAN YES WE CAN!

Well now I guess someone here's been to San Francisco lately.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE, YES WE CAN YES WE CAN YES WE CAN!

Well now I guess someone here's been to San Francisco lately.

Wow... you really need sedatives or something...

[zqt3344 21]

Come on and join me people we can change it all for I am the messiah!

CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE, YES WE CAN YES WE CAN YES WE CAN!

Well now I guess someone here's been to San Francisco lately.

Wow... you really need sedatives or something...

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

He/she/it is also trowing a fit in here?? dang!

Nurse please next time administer the meds on time

Edited February 4, 2009 by TävôLuDô

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Here's my suggestion for you ZQT. You go down to your local shopping mall and start chanting that stuff - then start taking your clothes off on the concourse while at the same time smearing yourself in peanut butter - it will probably be enough to get you the "care" you need.

[HAL 9000 96]

Yeah... lets not feed this troll anymore.

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

Yeah... lets not feed this troll anymore.

agreed

[almaty 19]

i guess, that will set your azz on fire

[Chica Yeyé 41]

that makes homage to the quote "hey! your sh!t is on fire"

no #######