Santa Clara’s giant foam of blob was not part of a movie nor an elaborate scheme to promote body wash. Friday, drivers and residents passing through Martin Avenue in Santa Clara, California were surprised and a bit frightened by what they saw.
The streets near the San Jose International Airport were covered by an enormous blob of foam that was over 60 feet high. Police were rapidly called to the scene, and they understood that the snow like substance that attracted so many curious passersby was actually fire retardant foam.
According to authorities, a fire suppression system malfunctioned at the private hangar and let out several thousand of gallons of foam through windows and air vents. The flame-retardant foam is hazardous, according to Capt. Mitch Matlow, of the San Jose Fire Department. Matlow explained:
“When I first got here this afternoon there were people playing in the foam, I told them to get out of it and go shower.”
Due to heavy winds, the fire retardant spread into the streets, under cars, and in backyards. Matlow said they rapidly created a roadblock to prevent people from driving, biking or walking through the massive foam but in vain.
One local man became a celebrity and rode his bike through the mass of small bubbles despite being warned by police officers that it could cause irritation. Blake Harrington sped inside the foam as a small crowd cheered him on and reporters watched.
Harrington, who has shared several videos of his “foam ride” on social media, told the media:
“Someone had to do it.”
It took cleaning crews more tan eight hours to clear up the mess. Matlow went on to say:
“Something triggered the (fire alarm) system to go off. As far as I know, there never was a fire, there never was a fuel leak. But no one can go inside the building (to investigate) because the foam is still inside the building.”
Sabrina Lochner, who was one of the many people who touched the foam, said:
“It looked like snow, but as you got closer, it looked like a bubble bath gone terribly wrong.”
Some online commenters were baffled by the amount of noise that surrounded this story.
