Why yes, that is a natural gas line running to the furnace and water heater: https://www.reddit.com/r/electricians/comments/1fpo26t/not_something_you_see_everyday_evidently_this/

Not something you see everyday. Evidently this image has gone a bit viral, but this is a friend of mines house. She hit me up wondering if I knew what might cause it. The flex was pulling about 175 amps and was at 1200 degrees. There's to be a whole news story on it and everything.

Mother of god, dare I say this post..... blew up. There are a lot of questions and there is no way I can get to everyone. Basically, during a storm a tree fell on the incoming lines and it caused some fucked up high voltage things and created a new ground.

  • Zoift [he/him]
    ·
    2 hours ago

    It may not be power efficient, but that water is definitely heated.

  • miz [any, any]
    ·
    2 hours ago

    step 1. turn off the main breaker to the house

    • skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de
      ·
      33 minutes ago

      according to that reddit post, during a storm power line fell on gas meter, energizing gas line. now, that means that current flows bypassing meter and breakers entirely, going to ground via gas line, glowing flex, then water pipes and/or neutral. normal breakers won't trip, because neutral does not have breakers. GFCI should trip, but it does nothing to stop gas pipe from glowing because current that heats it doesn't flow through there. to unfuck this particular situation you'd need to trip breaker at substation, or disconnect power line going to that area

      gas line could be shut off in principle, but it'll be energized, so it's not an option

    • happybadger [he/him]
      ·
      2 hours ago

      I'm surprised the paper in a plastic bag, plywood floor, and cable casing aren't melting. It's starting to combust the warning labels but the floor should be on several kinds of fire.

      • Acute_Engles [he/him, any]
        ·
        52 minutes ago

        Heat transfer is kind of like electricity transfer. It'll always travel the path of least resistance. It's the principle of the trick where you hold a lighter up to a super thin plastic water bottle or a balloon with water, the plastic won't melt until the water gets hot.