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Old 10-18-2008, 07:19 AM  
rowan
Too lazy to set a custom title
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Australia
Posts: 17,393
Lots of fire alarms, fire trucks, cops in Melbourne tonight

Anyone in Melbourne? I was driving south along Beach Road in St Kilda this evening, there was a white flash ahead and the street and traffic lights died... they came back on shortly afterwards, but when we ventured back into St Kilda it was obvious there was something serious happening as there were 3 fire trucks outside a hotel and lots of people standing around. Further up the road all the lights - street, house and traffic - were out.

Along the main St Kilda Road strip heading back into the city there were at least 3 separate buildings with fire alarms going, and I also heard an evacuation alarm. Lots of sirens, both police moving to major intersections (lights were out) and fire trucks presumably responding to the alarms. At least 2km of St Kilda Rd was blacked out.

What I *think* happened is that a power outage - whatever caused it - triggered the alarms. For obvious reasons the trucks need to attend an active alarm, but it's easy to see how some people could start panicking when they see 10 fire trucks and a cop car at every intersection...

Anyone else in that area tonight? Power would have gone out about 11:45pm.
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